# Virginia Paul Holm *Minnesota politician; first woman to serve as Secretary of State of Minnesota* Virginia Paul Holm Bye (March 14, 1902 – October 1968) was a politician in [[Minnesota]] and a member of the [[Republican Party (United States)]]. No woman had held the office of Secretary of State of Minnesota before her.[^1] Governor Elmer Anderson appointed her Secretary of State in 1952. The office had first passed to an interim appointee, H.H. Chesterman, after the death of her husband, former Secretary of State [[Mike Holm]]. She won the office at the polls that November and was defeated in 1954.[^1] ## Secretary of State of Minnesota The death of Mike Holm left the office of Secretary of State vacant, and H.H. Chesterman was appointed to fill it. In 1952 Governor Elmer Anderson named Virginia Holm to succeed Chesterman.[^1] At the November 1952 general election she was elected to the office on her own account. When she sought another term in 1954, she was defeated. The ballot listed her as "Mrs. Mike Holm."[^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Virginia Paul Holm Bye; born March 14, 1902; died October 1968; Republican.[^1] ### What - Secretary of State of Minnesota; the first woman to hold the office.[^1] ### When - Appointed 1952; elected November 1952; defeated for re-election 1954.[^1] ### How - Appointed by Governor Elmer Anderson as successor to H.H. Chesterman, who had been appointed after Mike Holm's death left the office vacant.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Virginia Paul Holm* (revision 1373910522, retrieved 2026-10-25) — Holm's birth and death dates, Republican affiliation, status as the first woman to serve as Secretary of State of Minnesota, 1952 appointment by Gov. Elmer Anderson in succession to H.H. Chesterman, November 1952 election, 1954 defeat, and ballot name. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Paul_Holm