Horace Holley

Born in Torrington, Connecticut, on April 7, 1887, Horace Hotchkiss Holley studied at the Lawrenceville School and Williams College, where he focused on literature. Before becoming widely known for his service to the Bahá’í Faith, he also published poetry and reflective prose, including Divinations and Creation.

Holley became one of the most important American Bahá’í administrators and writers of the first half of the twentieth century. He served on major Bahá’í institutions in the United States and was known for helping present the religion’s ideas clearly and gracefully in English, both as an editor and as an author.

In 1951, Shoghi Effendi appointed him a Hand of the Cause of God, a high rank of service in the Bahá’í Faith. After Shoghi Effendi’s death, Holley was among the Custodians who helped guide the worldwide Bahá’í community during a crucial transition. He died in Haifa, Israel, on July 12, 1960.