Joseph Holt, the second son of a wealthy Breckinridge County family, inherited 10,000 acres of farmland along the Ohio River and always regarded this place as home, even after years away. While practicing law in Mississippi, he developed a strong interest in politics and, as a lifelong Democrat, supported James Buchanan in the 1856 presidential election, helping secure Kentucky's vote and victory for the Democratic Party. Buchanan then appointed Holt to three successive posts in his administration, including secretary of war. Although Holt was a slave owner, he was deeply conflicted about slavery, writing that it was contrary to justice, morality, humanity, and honor. When the Civil War began, he supported President Abraham Lincoln, condemned Kentucky's neutrality, and was instrumental in keeping the Commonwealth in the Union. In July 1861, Camp Joe Holt was established in Jeffersonville, Indiana, where thousands of loyal Kentuckians enlisted in the Union army. In July 1862, Congress created the office of Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army, and two months later Lincoln appointed Holt to that position, which he held for over thirteen years. After the war, as Kentucky embraced the Lost Cause, Union supporters fell out of favor and Holt's contributions were largely forgotten, though he left a legacy as a devoted Unionist and the Father of the Judge Advocates.