Vanderbilt Law School in the Nineteenth Century: Its Creation and Formative Years

Abstract

Vanderbilt University Law School is recognized today as offering one of the nation's preeminent programs in legal education. Its opening in Nashville in 1874, however, was inauspicious at best, and its operation during the remainder of the nineteenth century was marked principally by modest, incremental advances. Yet an examination of the Law School's creation and formative years reveals a rich tale of administrators, faculty, students, alumni, and supporters striving to fashion an enduring, high-quality institution. This Article recounts the story of Vanderbilt Law School in the nineteenth century.