Melvin Lee “Kip” Holden is an American politician who in 2004 became the first African American Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Holden was born on August 12, 1952, to Rosa May Rogers and Curtis Holden in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Scotlandville Senior High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, graduating in 1970.
After graduating from high school, Holden attended Louisiana State University (LSU) where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the LSU Manship School of Mass Communications in 1974. He then pursued a career in radio broadcasting and was hired as news director for WXOK Radio in Baton Rouge. Holden later relocated to New Orleans where he served as reporter for WWL Radio. In 1978, Holden became a reporter for a New Orleans television station, WBRZ Channel 2.
Holden also attended graduate school at Southern University, an HBCU in Baton Rouge. He earned his M.A. degree in journalism from Southern in 1982. He also worked as a public relations specialist for the United States Census Bureau; a Public Information Officer for the Baton Rouge City Police Department; and a Law Clerk for the Louisiana Department of Labor Office of Workers’ Compensation. In 1985, he graduated with his JD degree from Southern University Law Center and six years later, in 1991, he became an adjunct professor of Law at the Southern University Law Center.
Holden entered politics and in 1984, he was elected as District 2 Councilman of the Baton Rouge Metro Council. In 1988, Holden was elected as a state representative for the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 15. He served there from 1988 to 2002. He also served as Louisiana State Senator from District 15 from 2002 to 2004.
In 1996, Holden ran unsuccessfully for mayor-president of Baton Rouge. He ran again for the post in 2000 and again lost. In 2004, however, Holden won the mayoral election, unseating Republican candidate Bobby Simpson. This made him the first African American President Mayor-President of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.
As mayor of East Baton Rouge Parish, Holden enacted polices that include the Green Light Baton Rouge Citizens Council and the revitalization of Downtown, Baton Rouge. He also established an HIV/AIDS task force devoted to the education, prevention and awareness campaign concerning the transmission of the disease in East Baton Rouge Parish and surrounding areas and launched a new Economic Development Initiative for East Baton Rouge Parish with the goal of promoting minority-owned businesses in the region. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, he let efforts to aid many New Orleans evacuees who sought refuge in his city and sought additional federal funding in response to the hurricane’s destruction when he as a mayor made a rare address to the United States Senate.
Holden won re-election in 2008 against Republican candidate Dan Kyle, and a third time in 2012 against Republican candidate Mike Walker Sr. In 2015, ran unsuccessfully for Louisiana Lieutenant Governor but lost to Republican candidate Billy Nungesser. A year later, he ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives to represent Louisiana’s 2nd congressional district to Democratic candidate Cedric Richmond. Holden is married to Lois Stevenson. The couple have five children.
