For a time, he was a director for the Grand Trunk and, in 1853, formed a firm with Alexander Tilloch Galt and others which was contracted to extend their tracks from Toronto to Sarnia. Both Holton and Galt were heavily criticized for taking advantage of their government connections to win the contract and gain government subsidies. He was a member of the city council for Montreal from 1850 to 1851.
Holton
Galt