Holley was considered the foremost U.S. steel and plant engineer and designer of his time, particularly in regard to applying research to modern steel manufacturing processes. He also was a leader in engineering societies of the day, becoming a member in the first year (1871) of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers (and serving as its third president in 1876). He then joined the American Society of Civil Engineers and later became a vice president. But there still served no national voice for increasingly prolific mechanical aspects of engineering. By the late 1870s, he launched the effort to unite mechanical engineers into a professional society.

Chairing the first meeting of ASME founders in the offices of the American Machinist on Feb. 16, 1880, he also is credited for establishing the intellectual boundaries of the mechanical engineering profession and ASME. He is the principal author of ASME's first bylaws and rules and was called a leading spirit in the organization of the Society. His ideas and concepts directly influenced both education and industry for decades. More ...