Mary E. Holland (February 25, 1868 - March 27, 1915) was an American detective who became an early advocate for fingerprint identification in criminal investigations.

[5] Beginning in the 1880s in Cedar Rapids, Iowa,[2] Mr. Holland published The Detective, a magazine for law enforcement professionals that ran photos of wanted criminals and cataloged criminological supplies.

John K. Ferrier of Scotland Yard attended the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis as part of the security for an exhibit of Queen Victoria's jewels.

My belief in my sex, its brain and ability is strong and deep-rooted.In the 1910 murder trial of Thomas Jennings in Chicago, Holland was one of several experts called to verify the fingerprint evidence used to convict the accused.

[11] Holland also studied under Alphonse Bertillon,[6][8] who had a system of identifying suspects by measurements and classification of mugshots.

Holland became the American agent for the Bertillon system and trained others on it and sold it to local police departments.