William Stewart Simkins
Encyclopedia
William Stewart Simkins (August 25, 1842–February 27, 1929) was a Confederate
soldier and professor
of law at the University of Texas at Austin
. As a military cadet, he quite possibly fired the first shot of the American Civil War
.
, a South Carolina
military academy
, in 1856.
ship the Star of the West
, which was attempting to ferry supplies to Fort Sumter
. The cadets fired the first shots of the American Civil War
. The Daily Courier at first said he had fired the first shot, although the official account later blamed a local youth named G. E. Haynesworth.
The cadets were graduated early on April 9. On the morning of April 12, 1861, Simkins, on duty near Charleston Harbor
, participated in the bombardment of Fort Sumter
, the first battle of the war.
He was commissioned as a first lieutenant of artillery
. He oversaw a battery during the First Battle of Charleston Harbor
on April 7, 1863. He is mentioned on September 19, 1863 as the inspector general
for General Hagood
. Simkins surrendered as a colonel
in the army of Joseph E. Johnston
in North Carolina
in 1865.
, where he and his brother, Eldred J. Simkins, organized the Florida
Ku Klux Klan
.
Simkins married Lizzie Ware on February 10, 1870. They had five children.
Simkins was admitted to the bar
in 1870 and moved to Texas
in 1873 where he practiced law at Corsicana. In 1885 he and his brother began a practice in Dallas. In 1894 he was, alongside Texas Attorney General
Charles Allen Culberson
, an appellant in two cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, Reagan
v. Mercantile Trust Co. and Reagan v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co.
Peregrinus, the mascot of the University of Texas School of Law
, came from his course on Equity, after a drowsing student, Russell Savage, awoke halfway through Simkins's discussion of Roman law
to the word "peregrinus
" scrawled on the blackboard. Not understanding the context to Roman citizenship
or a type of praetor
, Savage made the first doodle of the four legged duck-billed creature.
Simkins was himself nicknamed "Old Peregrinoos." First-year law students were known as "Simkins's Jackasses," and later by the initialism J.A.
His publications became standard textbook
s in law schools in and beyond Texas. The University of the South in Sewanee
, Tennessee
, conferred an honorary doctorate of civil law
upon him in 1913.
Simkins gave a yearly speech each Thanksgiving in which he decried Northern carpetbaggers who, he suggested, helped promote a culture of poverty among freed slaves, and proclaimed his belief that the South
had overcome its racist
past and had arisen once again as an economic powerhouse.
He became professor emeritus in 1923, but continued to lecture once a week until his death. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery
in Dallas.
The two-story dormitory was constructed near Waller Creek in the 1950s. Next door to the law school where Professor Simkins made his intellectual mark, it was originally the law student dormitory, but later moved into common undergraduate use.
In 2010, UT changed the name to Creekside Residence Hall in the light of recently rediscovered disclosures of Simkins's role as the co-founder of the Florida
Ku Klux Klan
. University President William Powers, Jr., endorsed the change on July 12, 2010. The regents also changed the name "Simkins Park", a green space next to the dormitory which had been named for Simkins's brother, Eldred James Simkins of Corsicana
, who served on the UT board from 1882-1893 and had reputed Klan ties. The African American trustee, Printice L. Gary (born 1946) of Dallas, made the motion, approved unanimously, to delete the name "Simkins" from the dormitory: "From time to time we are reminded of ugly periods in our nation's history regarding civil rights. The history behind the name is not in line with today's University of Texas an its core values." Gregory Vincent, UT vice president for diversity and community engagement, said that the Simkins Hall sign would be removed by July 16.
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
soldier and professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
of law at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
. As a military cadet, he quite possibly fired the first shot of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Early life
His parents were Eldred James and Pattie Simkins. He entered the CitadelThe Citadel (military college)
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, also known simply as The Citadel, is a state-supported, comprehensive college located in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. It is one of the six senior military colleges in the United States...
, a South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
military academy
Military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...
, in 1856.
Role in U.S Civil War
At daybreak on January 9, 1861, Simkins saw the signal from a guard boat, and sounded the alarm in the sand battery, alerting his fellow cadets to the arrival of the UnionUnion (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
ship the Star of the West
Star of the West
The Star of the West was a civilian steamship hired by the United States government to transport military supplies and reinforcements to the garrison of Fort Sumter, but was fired on by Confederates in its effort to do so at the dawning of the American Civil War...
, which was attempting to ferry supplies to Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
. The cadets fired the first shots of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. The Daily Courier at first said he had fired the first shot, although the official account later blamed a local youth named G. E. Haynesworth.
The cadets were graduated early on April 9. On the morning of April 12, 1861, Simkins, on duty near Charleston Harbor
Charleston Harbor
The Charleston Harbor is an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean at Charleston, South Carolina. The inlet is formed by the junction of Ashley and Cooper rivers at . Morris and Sullivan's Island, shelter the entrance...
, participated in the bombardment of Fort Sumter
Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter, near Charleston, South Carolina, that started the American Civil War. Following declarations of secession by seven Southern states, South Carolina demanded that the U.S. Army abandon its facilities in Charleston Harbor. On...
, the first battle of the war.
He was commissioned as a first lieutenant of artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
. He oversaw a battery during the First Battle of Charleston Harbor
First Battle of Charleston Harbor
The First Battle of Charleston Harbor was an engagement near Charleston, South Carolina that took place April 7, 1863, during the American Civil War. The striking force was a fleet of nine ironclad warships of the Union Navy, including seven monitors that were improved versions of the original ....
on April 7, 1863. He is mentioned on September 19, 1863 as the inspector general
Inspector General
An Inspector General is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is Inspectors General.-Bangladesh:...
for General Hagood
Johnson Hagood (governor)
Johnson Hagood was a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War and the 80th Governor of South Carolina from 1880 to 1882.-Early years:...
. Simkins surrendered as a colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
in the army of Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph E. Johnston
Joseph Eggleston Johnston was a career U.S. Army officer, serving with distinction in the Mexican-American War and Seminole Wars, and was also one of the most senior general officers in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War...
in North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
in 1865.
Post war activities
After the war he went to Monticello, FloridaMonticello, Florida
Monticello is a city in Jefferson County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,533 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 2,572. It is the county seat of Jefferson County...
, where he and his brother, Eldred J. Simkins, organized the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
.
Simkins married Lizzie Ware on February 10, 1870. They had five children.
Simkins was admitted to the bar
Bar association
A bar association is a professional body of lawyers. Some bar associations are responsible for the regulation of the legal profession in their jurisdiction; others are professional organizations dedicated to serving their members; in many cases, they are both...
in 1870 and moved to Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in 1873 where he practiced law at Corsicana. In 1885 he and his brother began a practice in Dallas. In 1894 he was, alongside Texas Attorney General
Texas Attorney General
The Texas Attorney General is the chief legal officer of the State of Texas.The department has offices at the William P. Clements State Office Building at 300 West 15th Street in Austin.-History:...
Charles Allen Culberson
Charles Allen Culberson
Charles Allen Culberson was an American political figure and Democrat who served as the 21st Governor of Texas from 18951899, and as a United States Senator from Texas from 18991923....
, an appellant in two cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, Reagan
John Henninger Reagan
John Henninger Reagan , was a leading 19th century American politician from the U.S. state of Texas. A Democrat, Reagan resigned from the U.S. House of Representatives when Texas seceded from the Union and joined the Confederate States of America. He served in the cabinet of Jefferson Davis as...
v. Mercantile Trust Co. and Reagan v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co.
Professorship
Simkins joined the law faculty of the University of Texas in 1899.Peregrinus, the mascot of the University of Texas School of Law
University of Texas School of Law
The University of Texas School of Law, also known as UT Law, is an ABA-certified American law school located on the University of Texas at Austin campus. The law school has been in operation since the founding of the University in 1883. It was one of only two schools at the University when it was...
, came from his course on Equity, after a drowsing student, Russell Savage, awoke halfway through Simkins's discussion of Roman law
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
to the word "peregrinus
Peregrinus (Roman)
Peregrinus was the term used during the early Roman empire, from 30 BC to 212 AD, to denote a free provincial subject of the Empire who was not a Roman citizen. Peregrini constituted the vast majority of the Empire's inhabitants in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD...
" scrawled on the blackboard. Not understanding the context to Roman citizenship
Peregrinus (Roman)
Peregrinus was the term used during the early Roman empire, from 30 BC to 212 AD, to denote a free provincial subject of the Empire who was not a Roman citizen. Peregrini constituted the vast majority of the Empire's inhabitants in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD...
or a type of praetor
Praetor
Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...
, Savage made the first doodle of the four legged duck-billed creature.
Simkins was himself nicknamed "Old Peregrinoos." First-year law students were known as "Simkins's Jackasses," and later by the initialism J.A.
His publications became standard textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
s in law schools in and beyond Texas. The University of the South in Sewanee
Sewanee, Tennessee
Sewanee is an unincorporated locality in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States, treated by the U.S. Census as a census-designated place . The population was 2,361 at the 2000 census...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, conferred an honorary doctorate of civil law
Civil law (common law)
Civil law, as opposed to criminal law, is the branch of law dealing with disputes between individuals or organizations, in which compensation may be awarded to the victim...
upon him in 1913.
Simkins gave a yearly speech each Thanksgiving in which he decried Northern carpetbaggers who, he suggested, helped promote a culture of poverty among freed slaves, and proclaimed his belief that the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
had overcome its racist
Racism in the United States
Racism in the United States has been a major issue since the colonial era and the slave era. Legally sanctioned racism imposed a heavy burden on Native Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, and Latin Americans...
past and had arisen once again as an economic powerhouse.
He became professor emeritus in 1923, but continued to lecture once a week until his death. He was buried in Greenwood Cemetery
Greenwood Cemetery
Greenwood Cemetery may refer to:in the United States*Greenwood Cemetery, Orlando, Florida, near Downtown Orlando*Greenwood Cemetery, Jefferson County, Alabama, near the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport...
in Dallas.
Legacy
Simkins Hall dormitory on the University's campus was for a time named in his honor.The two-story dormitory was constructed near Waller Creek in the 1950s. Next door to the law school where Professor Simkins made his intellectual mark, it was originally the law student dormitory, but later moved into common undergraduate use.
In 2010, UT changed the name to Creekside Residence Hall in the light of recently rediscovered disclosures of Simkins's role as the co-founder of the Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
. University President William Powers, Jr., endorsed the change on July 12, 2010. The regents also changed the name "Simkins Park", a green space next to the dormitory which had been named for Simkins's brother, Eldred James Simkins of Corsicana
Corsicana, Texas
Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45 some fifty-five miles south of downtown Dallas. The population was 24,485 at the 2000 census...
, who served on the UT board from 1882-1893 and had reputed Klan ties. The African American trustee, Printice L. Gary (born 1946) of Dallas, made the motion, approved unanimously, to delete the name "Simkins" from the dormitory: "From time to time we are reminded of ugly periods in our nation's history regarding civil rights. The history behind the name is not in line with today's University of Texas an its core values." Gregory Vincent, UT vice president for diversity and community engagement, said that the Simkins Hall sign would be removed by July 16.
Partial bibliography
- Equity as Applied in the State and Federal Courts of Texas (1903)
- Contracts and Sales (1905)
- Administration of Estates in Texas (1908)
- A Federal Suit in Equity (1909)
- A Federal Suit at Law (1912)
- Title by Limitations in Texas (1924)