Holst was born in
Bergen, Norway. He was the son of shipmaster Søren Dalholt Holst (1811–84) and Catharina Krohn (1814–1903). He graduated from the
University of Christiania (now University of Oslo) and earned his law degree in 1871. In 1872, he moved to
Bergen and worked for
Bergens Tidende from 1874. In 1883, he was made Chief editor of
Dagbladet. He was editor-in-chief of
Dagbladet from 1883 to 1898 and Chairman of the
Liberal Party of Norway from 1900 to 1903. In 1884 he was a co-founder of the
Norwegian Association for Women's Rights. ==Personal life==