Born on 8 October 1854 in Huntington, Ohio, America, to Christian parents. After completing the university, he practiced as a lawyer, and participated in several large bank corporations in Cleveland, later a member of the local city administration. From 1903 until 1906 he was governor of the state of Ohio. On 15 February 1912 he was appointed as the American ambassador to France, and in December 1914 he completed his term as ambassador, then returned to settle in Cleveland and played a prominent part in civic matters.

Cleveland then didn't have any permanent Yiddish theatre stages, and the various itinerant troupes used to be forced to perform in a small, cheap theatre. Through the initiative of the saloon owner Harry Bernstein (known under the name of "the Tsar of Cleveland"), and Jacob Kirschenbaum, H. became interested with the state of Yiddish theatre in Cleveland and built in 1915 a stage for Yiddish theatre, under the name of "Holtnart(?) Theatre" (on 55th Street and Woodland Avenue). For one season H. was also [incognito] the director of the Yiddish troupe, under the pseudonym of David Levinson, who had acted there.

Later H. again was appointed as the American ambassador to France. On 31 March 1929 H. passed away in Paris, and he was brought to his place of burial in his hometown in America.