Joseph W. Holden (1844–1875) was a North Carolina politician in the nineteenth century. He was the son of William Woods Holden. During the American Civil War, Holden served in the Confederate States Army and was captured by Union forces at Roanoke Island. In 1865, his father handed over to him the editorship of the . In 1874-1875, he served as mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina. Called "one of the most talented men that the State has ever produced" by a local historian, Holden, who was also a noted poet. He died at age 31 in 1875.