When Hollister was twelve, he gained an interest in birds as he studied under Ludwig Kumlien, who was a professor at Milton College.
Hollister was designated to be the assistant curator of mammals at the U.S. National Museum in 1910.
In 1916, Ned Hollister was then designated to be the superintendent of the National Zoological Park.
Hollister was recorded to be a man who was a quiet and keen observer, and he was very systematic in the way he worked.
[1] Hollister died on November 3, 1924, in Washington D.C at the age of 47.