Academic Freedom or "In the Spirit of 1836," by George C. Butte
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George Butte was born in San Francisco, California, in 1877, and moved to Hunt County as a child. Butte practiced law in Texas and Oklahoma from 1903-1911, then traveled to Europe to study in Germany and France. From 1914-1917 he was a professor at the University of Texas law school. He delivered this address before the student body during the university's showdown with Governor James E. Ferguson.

Butte left the law school in 1918 to serve as chief of foreign intelligence for the Army's general staff. He worked for Governor William P. Hobby after the war before returning to the law school to serve as dean. In 1924, he received the Republican nomination for governor to oppose Mrs. Ferguson. Although defeated, Butte drew ten times the normal vote for Republicans of that era.

In later years, Butte served as attorney general of Puerto Rico and as an associate justice on the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He died in 1940.

Cover | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Back to exhibit

Cover | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Back to exhibit

Academic Freedom or "In the Spirit of 1836," by George C. Butte, Austin, 1917. Archives and Information Services Division, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.