Christian Holmes IV Has Influential Ancestors – Facts about Elizabeth Holmes' Father

Christian Holmes IV is Elizabeth Holmes' father who is successful in his career. He comes from a family of career-driven men and women.

Elizabeth Holmes is infamous for defrauding several investors through her company, Theranos. Although her reputation has not been glowing, her father, Christian Holmes IV, has stood by her.

As his daughter tried to become successful in her career, Christian also worked hard in his profession. He has an impressive job and continues to work to this day. He also has several notable ancestors who were successful in their fields.

A Hospital Was Named after Christian Holmes IV's Great-Grandfather

Born on February 1, 1946, to a former Powers model and prominent businessman, Christian watched his mother and stepfather work hard.

His parents were influential in their community, but Christian didn't immediately follow in a similar career. From 1968 to 1974, Christian joined the US Army Reserve.

In Christian's family, failure was not an option. After Christian's great-grandfather, Christian Rasmus Holmes, migrated from Denmark, he made strides in the medical field as a physician. A local hospital was even named after him.

The older Christian married Bettie Fleischmann, a Cincinnati socialite. Fleischmann was also the daughter of a yeast and baking tycoon. During an interview, Christian's daughter recalled:

"I grew up with those stories about greatness and about people deciding not to spend their lives on something purposeful, and what happens to them when they make that choice – the impact on character and quality of life."

Christian Holmes IV Held Top Positions throughout His Career

Christian Holmes IV grew up with success in mind. After obtaining a Political Science and Government degree from Wesleyan University, he held several notable roles in government agencies.

In 1989, Christian became the Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response at the Environmental Protection Agency, Washington. He later held the same title for the Federal Facilities Enforcement.

Eventually, Christian became the Acting Assistant Administrator in the Office of Administration and Resource Management and was nominated as Assistant Administrator.

Throughout the 2010s, he worked with the US Agency for International Development and State Department as the Global Water Coordinator, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water, and Deputy Assistant Administrator for Natural Resource Management.

In 2017, he joined The Boston Consulting Group as a Senior Advisor and still works with the company as of writing.

Christian Holmes IV Has Been Supporting His Daughter since Childhood

Besides his career, Christian built a life with his wife, Noel, who worked as a foreign policy and defense Aid on Capitol Hill. They had two children, Elizabeth and Christian Holmes V, whom they raised with love.

As the only girl, Elizabeth had her father's support since childhood. They formed a close bond and would collect insects and go fishing together. Elizabeth recalled:

"I was probably, definitely, not normal. I [read] 'Moby-Dick' from start to finish when I was about nine. I read a ton of books. I still have a notebook with a complete design for a time machine that I designed [at] seven."

Christian's daughter enjoyed science and had hobbies that her parents didn't object to. They continued to support her when she dropped out of Stanford and used connections to get her started with her venture capital.

Christian and Noel were convinced to use Elizabeth's tuition funds to start her company. They believed in her and invested a part of their retirement money into Theranos, even if it wasn't enough to launch Elizabeth's plans for the business.

Unfortunately, things went south, and Elizabeth was charged with several fraud counts. Throughout her trial, Christian stood by her. Elizabeth launched Theranos with her business partner and alleged lover, Sunny Balwani. The businessman, previously married to Keiko Fujimoto, was also charged with fraud.