[2] Holmes then moved to Astoria along the Oregon Coast in 1937 where he was involved in advertising and radio broadcasting, serving as general manager of KAST from 1943 to 1957.

Additionally, Holmes supported passage of such civil rights legislation as a fair employment law and the outlawing of discrimination in public places.

[1] Holmes defeated Lew Wallace in the primary and Elmo Smith, the Republican state Senate president who had assumed the job after Patterson's death in the general election.

Holmes convened a special session of the Oregon Legislature, for the purpose of lowering taxes, in his first year as governor.

[4] The 19 day session concluded in mid-November; the compromise reached between House Democrats and Senate Republicans reflected a 20% cut in taxes.

[5] The Associated Press identified the tax session as the number one news story in the state in 1957, ahead of the prosecution of the Teamsters.

Following his governorship, Holmes hosted a television public affairs program on Portland's KOIN, and served on the Oregon Board of Higher Education from 1969 to 1974.