|
|
TABLE OF CONTENTS |
William Stewart Simkins papers, 1862-1876, 1889-1929, 1947-1962, 1980Biographical NoteA long-time professor at the University of Texas School of Law, William Stewart Simkins (1842-1929) originated many law school traditions. Simkins, a South Carolina native, attended the Citadel and as a Confederate soldier participated in firing on federal forces at Fort Sumter in April 1861. After the Civil War, Simkins moved to Monticello, Florida, with his brother, Eldred J. Simkins. There they organized the Florida Ku Klux Klan, an event which Simkins recalled in his Thanksgiving speech of 1914, and which subsequently was reprinted in the UT alumni magazine The Alcalde. Simkins and his brother moved to Texas in 1873. William Simkins practiced law in Corsicana, Texas, until 1885, when he began a practice with his brother in Dallas. In 1894, he was an appellant in two cases heard before the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1899, Simkins joined the law faculty of the University of Texas. The law school mascot, an imaginary creature called "Peregrinus," originated from a Simkins equity class lecture. In about 1900, a drowsy student confessed his ignorance of a Roman legal term and guessed that "Peregrinus" must be an animal. Simkins was subsequently referred to as "Old Peregrinoos." Many of Simkins' publications became standard law school textbooks, including his texts on equity, contracts, estates, and titles. Simkins married Lizzie Ware in 1870; they had five children. After becoming a law school professor emeritus in 1923, Simkins continued to lecture weekly until his death in 1929. In 2010, the University of Texas governing board removed Simkins' name from a dormitory named after him in the 1950s, citing his involvement in the KKK. The dormitory was renamed "Creekside Residence Hall." Return to the Table of Contents Scope and ContentsCorrespondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, a Confederate army commission, an early Texas land deed, a University of Texas School of Law pamphlet, and obituaries comprise the William Stewart Simkins papers. Of note is Simkins' hand-written description of the origin of the UT Law School mascot, the "Peregrinus." Return to the Table of Contents RestrictionsConditions Governing AccessThis collection is open for research. Conditions Governing UseThere are no use restrictions on this collection. Publisher is responsible for complying with copyright law. Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents Separated Material
Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationPreferred CitationWilliam Stewart Simkins Papers, 1862-1876, 1889-1929, 1947-1962, 1980, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin. Processing InformationThis collection was processed by Colleen Hobbs, August 2019. Return to the Table of Contents Accession Number2019-116 Return to the Table of Contents Detailed Description of the Collection
Return to the Table of Contents |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||