David Pelton Holmes

David Pelton Holmes, 89, died May 3, 2026. Born April 3, 1937, David was a resident of Williamsburg, Virginia. He was preceded in death by his parents Robert and Doris Holmes and his brother, Christopher Holmes.

David pursued higher education with dedication and purpose, earning a B.A. from Tufts University in 1959 and later a J.D. from the College of William & Mary in 1974.

David served in the United States Army Reserve and devoted his professional life to the practice and stewardship of law. He worked as a General Civil Law Practice Attorney in Denver, CO, and later in Administrative Law with the Central Intelligence Agency.

David leaves a legacy of extraordinary devotion to his nation. His contributions to our national security began as an operations officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. After a break in service to obtain a law degree at the College of William & Mary, and practicing law in Colorado, David returned to CIA in 1984 as an attorney with the Office of General Counsel. His professionalism, integrity and skill were on full display as David was assigned to manage complicated, high-profile espionage cases that required coordination and building trusted relationships with the Department of Justice, FBI and other agencies. In 1987 David was named Chief of the Iran-Contra Task Force that was responsible for responding to congressional and Independent Counsel investigations of former government officials. In 1990 David was selected as Deputy General Counsel, and in 1994 he was named Deputy Director of the Office of Congressional Affairs. In this senior role, David led efforts to develop and implement procedures to keep congressional intelligence oversight committees currently informed of important Agency activities. He gained trust and respect from those same committees in providing briefings on sensitive counter-intelligence matters. In his final assignment at CIA, David served (2000-2002) as the first Counselor to the Executive Director, where he developed guidance for key internal Agency personnel actions, which included work on sensitive Inspector General investigations. Throughout these important assignments, David was a sought-after mentor whose calm demeanor, expertise in both the law and intelligence operations, and devotion to duty taught young lawyers how to find solutions to what at times seemed intractable conflicts. Many officers who worked with David became leaders in offices throughout the CIA and in the Intelligence Community. After retiring from CIA, David continued to serve the Intelligence Community under contract and helped to establish key offices within the newly-created Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

There are many aspects of David’s career that cannot be detailed publicly, but for those who worked with him, and for the Agency that benefited from his extraordinary abilities and wise counsel, his unwavering dedication to our nation’s security and devotion to our well-being will forever be remembered. David was a model public servant whose career was guided by honor, integrity and grace.

In his personal life, David found enjoyment in crossword puzzles and was an avid reader whose curiosity extended to Russian and German language studies. He took great pride in his family and his career, and he followed Philadelphia sports teams with enduring loyalty.

David is survived by his wife, Ann Depenbrock Holmes; his daughters, Stephanie Stephens and her husband, Andrew Stephens, Melissa Miller and her husband, Christopher Miller, and Meghan McCredy and her husband, Scott McCredy; and his grandchildren, Nicholas Stephens and his wife, Laurie Hochman, Ben Stephens, Liam Miller, Declan Miller, Erin McCredy, and Davin McCredy. He is also survived by his sibling, Meredith Holmes.

David will be lovingly remembered with gratitude and respect by all who knew him.