During the American Civil War, Holden served in the Confederate States Army and was captured by Union forces at Roanoke Island.
Holden served as Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives while his party controlled the state legislature in 1868-1870, but he resigned before the end of his term.
In 1870, Holden lost a close race in a special election to the United States House of Representatives, the result of which he unsuccessfully contested.
[5] Called "one of the most talented men that the State has ever produced" by a local historian, Holden, who was also a noted poet, died at age 31 in 1875.
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