N.H. commissioner known for hats, generous service

Veteran NACo leader Carol Holden dies April 1

Carol Holden, 73

Carol H. Holden, Hillsborough County, N.H. Commission vice chair and long active in NACo died Friday, April 1 after a short illness. She was 73.

Known for her signature hats, fierce devotion to county government and the New Hampshire Republican Party, Holden served as a county commissioner and vice chair of the Hillsborough County Board beginning in 1997. Fellow county board member and chairman, Toni Pappas  — in a Facebook comment — said, “She was a dedicated public servant who loved county government. Her influence was felt not only in New Hampshire but at a national level as well.”

In New Hampshire politics, Holden was recognized as an ardent flag bearer for conservative principles and an influential member of the state’s Republican Party.

Holden became active in NACo activities in 1999 as a member of the then-Labor and Employment Steering Committee. She first became a NACo Board member in 2003, and served on several NACo committees over the next two decades, most recently as a member of the Finance, Pensions and Intergovernmental Affairs Steering Committee and the Board’s Finance Committee.

“Carol was a passionate public servant. She was an active member of NACo’s board and finance committee, always looking out for the interests of our members,” said NACo Executive Director Matt Chase

Anyone who knew Carol Holden knew her hats. She was famous for her chapeaus of all sizes and colors. “We’d joke among ourselves about what kind of hat Carol would be wearing at our next meeting,” said Strafford County Commissioner George Maglaras, a 20-year colleague and current president of the New Hampshire Association of Counties. “Since I have a habit of pushing my glasses back to my head — and am a Democrat — and Carol had her hats, we would say that’s how you could tell which party we were from,” he added.

In New Hampshire politics, Holden was recognized as an ardent flag bearer for conservative principles and an influential member of the state’s Republican Party. In 2010, the Hillsborough County GOP honored her with its Lincoln-Reagan Award.  

Upon her death, New Hampshire Republican State Committee Chairman Jennifer Horn issued a statement, saying, ““We are deeply saddened by the passing of Commissioner Carol Holden. Carol was a devoted public servant and a passionate advocate for conservative candidates and fiscally responsible principles. Carol was a dedicated Republican, and she motivated a countless number of people across New Hampshire to get involved with our political process at both a state and local level.”

On the national scene, Holden served as president of the National Conference of Republican County Officials in 2007–2008 and won NCRCO’s 2014 Outstanding County Official of the Year Award.

“She not only wore hats, but she also served under many hats. We’ll miss her,” said Cindy Bobbitt, immediate past NCRCO president and Grant County, Okla. commissioner.

Holden served 13 years in the New Hampshire House of Representatives before she won county office. At the time of her death, she was in her sixth term as a Hillsborough County commissioner.