Guide to the Joe R. Greenhill Papers, 1934-2008

Historical Background

A University of Texas graduate with highest honors (B.A. and B.B.A. 1936, L.L.B 1939), Justice Joe R. Greenhill, Sr. (1914-2011) served in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War II. In 1949 he became the first assistant attorney general for the state of Texas and helped argue Sweatt v. Painter, a landmark segregation case, before the U.S. Supreme Court. He co-founded Graves, Dougherty and Greenhill, an Austin law firm, in 1950, where he practiced until 1957 when Governor Price Daniel appointed him as an associate justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

Justice Greenhill remained an associate justice following an election the next year, and served in that capacity until 1972 when he became the chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court. During his tenure on the bench Justice Greenhill labored to bring about a Texas constitution amendment that granted criminal jurisdiction to the Court of Civil Appeals. Justice Greenhill retired from the Supreme Court in 1982, going on to serve in leadership positions for numerous legal organizations. Following his retirement, Justice Greenhill worked to change Texas laws that discouraged mediation and arbitration, resulting in a reduction of the backlog of cases and increased access to the legal system for low-income individuals.

Among his many awards and honors, Justice Greenhill was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Texas School of Law in 1977, an Outstanding Texas Lawyer by the Texas Bar Foundation in 1989. Also in 1989, Baker Botts established the Endowed Presidential Scholarship in Law at The University of Texas in Justice Greenhill's name. One of his highest honors was his selection for membership in the Warren Burger Society by the National Center for State Courts. Toward the end of his life Justice Greenhill served as counsel to Baker and Botts, an Austin Law Firm, where he primarily advised attorneys with cases before the Texas Supreme Court or other appellate Courts. Additionally, he was executive director emeritus of the State Bar of Texas and president of the Texas Supreme Court Historical Society. Justice Greenhill died in Austin, Texas, in 2011.

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Contents of the Collection

Bound volumes, correspondence, photographs, and other materials (127 volumes, 1.5 linear ft.) document the career and life of Justice Joe R. Greenhill.

Series I, Bound Texas Supreme Court Notes (123 volumes), divided between Notes on Ungranted Applications and Notes on Causes, document numerous cases which were considered for hearing by the Texas State Supreme Court during Justice Greenhill’s tenure as both judge and chief justice. The apparent gaps for volumes 36, 40, 41 and 45 in Notes on Causes are accounted for in Series II and III. Volume 46 of Notes on Causes is not present. A reference system to the Bound Texas Supreme Court Notes consisting of index cards (approximately 1,600) created by Justice Greenhill is available at Tarlton Law Library.

Series II, Texas Constitutional Revision Commission, comprises of two bound volumes of transcripts, photographs, correspondence, and other materials relating to the Texas Constitutional Revision Commission and the Constitutional Commission.

Series III, Scrapbooks, represents two bound volumes of clippings, correspondence, commentary and other material documenting the Texas State Supreme Court and Justice Greenhill’s career between 1972 and 1974.

Series IV, Correspondence (.5 linear ft.) primarily consists of letters from Justice Greenhill that serve as narrative memoires of his time in the Texas State Supreme Court. Other topics include Texas judges and prominent legal figures Justice Greenhill associated with. Prominent correspondents include former Director of the Tarlton Law Library Roy M. Mersky, Bill Pugsley of the Texas State Supreme Court Historical Society, and former Head of Tarlton’s Special Collections Mike Widener.

Series V, Photographs (.45 linear ft.), mainly documents the Texas State Supreme Court from the 1950s through the early 1980s. Other subjects include events attended by Justice Greenhill, the swearing in and induction ceremonies of Justice Greenhill, the swearing in and induction ceremonies of other judges and Governors Clements and Briscoe, and the Greenhill family. Most of the photographs appear to be reproductions.

Series VI, Creative works (.26 linear ft), includes speeches, articles, and drafts documenting Texas legal history in the second half of the twentieth century, biographies of other judges, and Justice Greenhill’s career in the Texas State Supreme Court. Memoires describe Justice Greenhill’s earlier work as an enlisted serviceman in World War Two and as an attorney, as well as the work of Justice Greenhill’s mother, Violet Greenhill. Additional topics of interest include the early Texas Supreme Court and the granting of criminal jurisdiction to the Texas Court of Civil Appeals.

Series VII, Collected works (.24 linear ft), almost entirely consists of clippings, articles, and other publications about the life and work of Justice Greenhill.

Series VIII, RESTRICTED: Confidential Correspondence Files (2 folders), requires permission to view.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Files marked restricted require permission to view.

Use Restrictions

The collection and any reproductions of the collection are made available for the purposes of private study, scholarship, and research only.

Tarlton Law Library does not hold the copyright to the materials, unless it has been transferred to the library by the creator. It is the researcher's responsibility to determine the copyright status and to obtain permission from the copyright holder before publishing any materials from the collection.

Some collections may contain sensitive or confidential information protected under federal and state privacy laws. The researchers are encouraged to report any such information to staff.

The University of Texas at Austin is not responsible for violations of intellectual property rights and any other laws or for liability to any person for defamation or invasion of privacy that result from unauthorized use of the collection by the researcher.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Joe R. Greenhill Papers, Tarlton Law Library, The University of Texas at Austin.

Acquisition Information

Donated ca. 2000-2008

Processing Information

Processed by Jennifer Cummings, Assistant Archivist.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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