Statue Description
Located merely meters from the iconic Tower and Main Building until 2015, the bronze Jefferson Davis statue stands 9 feet tall and 1,200 pounds. The statue's podium reads:
Jefferson Davis1808-1889ColonelIn the United States ArmyUnited States SenatorSecretary of WarOf the United StatesPresidentOf the Confederate States
On the railing that enclosed the statue, two bullet holes from the 1966 UT Tower shooting can be seen.
This statue of Davis, who served as the president of the Confederate States during the Civil War, gives testiment to the southern sentiments of George Littlefield, who commissioned the statue.
George Littlefield
Born in Mississippi in 1842, George Washington Littlefield held a number of positions during his life, including banker, major in the Confederate Army, farmer, and member of the UT Board of Regents.
Littlefield, whose wealth came from the purchase of land and water rights, intended to rectify what he believed was a strong northern bias in history textbooks. As a result, he created the Littlefield Fund for Southern History in 1914. Supplemented by a bequest in 1921, "this fund has supported the University of Texas Libraries acquisition of materials relating to the South. Thanks to investment proceeds from this endowment, the UT Austin Libraries now have one of the most extensive collections of materials on the South and Southern history and culture in the U.S." Source
Click here to read more about Littlefield's life.
Littlefield's Vision
According to his 1918 will, Littlefield hoped to commission a memorial for Confederates on the South Mall. It would feature a bronze arch marking UT's southern entrance. His plan, however, was be altered by sculptor Pompeo Coppini before coming to fruition.
On the top of the Arch I wish them to place a life size statue of Jefferson Davis, the President of the Southern Confederacy, to his right and below him I wish them to place a life size statue of General Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Army of Virginia, to the left of President Davis and below him and opposite the statue of General Lee, I wish them to place a life size statue of General Albert Sidney Johnston, Commander of the Army of Tennessee. Under General Lee I wish them to place a statue of John H. Reagan, Postmaster General of the Confederacy, and below the statue of General Johnston a statue of James S. Hogg, the peoples’ governor of Texas.
The Italian sculptor Pompeo Coppini, however, wanted to incorporate statues of non-Confederates--such as President Woodrow Wilson--to provide a greater sense of unification after World War I. With expenses rising, Littlefield and Coppini agreed in 1920, just months before Littlefield's death, to create a fountain instead of an arch, which would be less expensive. The statues were still to be included.
Click here to view more information on the Littlefield Fountain
Removal from South Mall
On August 30, 2015, the Jefferson Davis statue, as well as the Woodrow Wilson statue that stood symmetrical to it, were moved from the South Mall to the Briscoe Center for American History.
Click here to view more information on the Woodrow Wilson statue