GEORGE WASHINGTON LITTLEFIELD

A Texa n a n d His $ n iver sity

T H E $ NI$ E $ S I T$ $ $ TE $ A S W A S I N I T S I N

fancy when $ a $or George Washington Lit

tl efiel d , joined by other men of vision , breathed into it the vitality essential to its

Littl efiel d early development . was a staunch supporter of education who invested himself and his wealth in the future of The University

of Texas . His devotion to the University has had an incalculable and ever-increas ing in flu

ence upon the state . It would not be possible to tell the story of The Univers ity of Texas without telling the it l fi l o L t e e d . story of Ge rge W . Any account of the institution or of the man

’ must inevitably involve the story of one man s association with the in stitu tion of learning he loved .

Littl efiel d . Major was aptly described by his friend , Judge Nelson W Phil “ a t Littl efie l d as m a n f lips , the dedication of Alice Dormitory a unaf ected and unstudied , Spartan in the ruggedness and directness of his character .

He cared nothing for eulogy or praise . He never sought distinction or public honors . What he accomplished in every phase of his life , he earned . What he valued most in men was simple sincerity and steadfastness of conviction .

L $ $ A i $ na 30x24 n c h es . E$ T $ OO N O E$ L ITTL E $ IE L D by DON L D W EI S $ A N N $ l . Si e of origi l i He tolerated nothing less in himself , and because of that he prized most these ” attributes in other men .

Littl efi el d 2 1 1 8 2 George Washington was born June , 4 , in Panola County, Littl fi l d . e e Mississippi , the eldest of four children His father was Flemming ,

His a native of Tennessee and a cotton planter born to plantation life . l mother , the former Mi dred Terrell Satterwhite , was a native of Georgia - b and a member of a close knit family proud of its ancestry . Two years efore

1 8 1 Littl e fie l d a of her marriage in 4 to , brother her plantation overseer , she had been widowed by John Henry White and left with six children to rear . Because the marriage caused some dissension among their several fam il i s Littl fiel d 1 e e s 8 0 . , the emigrated to Texas in 5 Here the family settled in the rich Guadalupe River valley region near Belmont , where they engaged in farming . George was eight years old at the time of the move ; when he was eleven , his father died of pneumonia . A tutor on the riverside plantation gave young George his fi rs t years of education . His experience with a formal school began when he was twelve 6 . 1 8 years old at Gonzales , where he remained in school for two years In 5 he t entered Baylor University , then located at Independence in Washing on hi . s County After ten months , he returned home to help mother with the management of her business . Although he enjoyed being away from school , he later studied briefly under Professor A . A . Brook in Gonzales ; but as one “ biographer phrased it , he stopped school like a great many young men , thinking he had enough education . Formal education did not always seem important to young men growing up close to a frontier which placed a pre

- - mium on self reliant practicality rather than on book learning . The easy tenor of plantation life was interru pted by the outbreak of the l fi Civil War . The young George Litt e e l d enlisted in the summer of 1 86 1 as a ’ private in Company I of the Eighth Texas Cavalry , better known as Terry s $ Texas Range rs . He was barely nineteen when his unit headed for the irginia

Littl efi l fr e front . e d made a resp onsible soldier and promotion came to him

s was quently , de pite his youth and often over his protests . He on the com

r o Ch ica ma u a pany roster at Shiloh , Mu freesb ro and g , a few of the war experiences which moti vated a lifelong dedication to t he South and to South e m history .

u Littl efiel d The fighting was interr pted for , now a captain , when in

1 8 6 2 November , , he was one of three from his unit sent back to Texas on a

m r m recruiting mission . This visit ho e pe mitted him to resu e an interrupted 1 1 86 romance , and on January 4 , 3 , in Houston , Texas , Alice Payne Tillar

Littl e fie l d became Mrs . George W . . A short three weeks later the leave was over, and the bridegroom returned to his regiment in Tennessee .

1 86 rn Christmas Day , 3 , passed without the anticipated Northe advance f on Mossy Creek , now Jef erson City , in eastern Tennessee , but on the follow ing morning artillery fire erupted early . Acting Lieutenant Colonel Little

fiel d was sitting astride his horse when a shell exploded near him , and a piece of shrapnel struck the cartridge box on his pistol belt , detonating some

f - of the shells . He suf ered a severe wound in the left hip . As the twenty one y - fi b ear old of cer lay on the ground leeding , his commander , Brigadier General

om Thomas Harrison , rode by and paused long enough to pr ote him to the “ ” rank of major for gallantry on the field of battle .

Littl efiel d was With the help of Nathan Stokes , his Negro body servant , o w taken fr m the battlefield to the rear of the lines , where he lay ithout med ical help until late into the night ; the regimental surgeon hesitated even to

“ waste morphine on a lad whom he thought surely would die before dawn .

In spite of this , General Harrison ordered the ugly wound dressed , and Lit ’ l efi l d t e s . . long battle toward recovery began Nathan and Ed T Rhodes , a fellow soldier from Seguin , Texas, cared for their comrade through a suc

1 86 cession of tiring moves around the country . It was not until the fall of 4 , after resigning from the Army of the Confederate States , that the disabled

Littl e fie l d r of - retu ned to his Texas home and his wife twenty one months . He

1 86 r e returned on crutches , which were discarded by the end of 7 after a markable and determined recovery . n m be O ce back in Gonzales County , he assu ed control of the plantation longing to himself and a brother and undertook to rebuild the family for

. 1 868 1 86 tune Conditions grew increasingly better until the crops of , 9 , and 1 8 0 7 were either eaten by worms , scorched by drought , or washed away by overflows of the Guadalupe and San Marcos Rivers . Three bad years in a row left the hardworking young man with little but

s h im his property and mounting debts . Thi situation changed from planter m . S $ f 1 8 1 o to stock an In the pring 7 , with cattle from his farm and the ther

to $ . stock he was able to buy on credit , he headed up a drive Abilene , ansas Within ninety days he was home with enough money to pay his debts and t still repor a modest profit .

in He was never to be in serious financial diffi culty again . Although he

in m s o vested a ercantile bu iness with J C . Dilw rth , a boyhood friend in Littl e fie l d Gonzales , cattle remained his major interest . The name of was thenceforth to be associated irrevocably with the expanding cattle economy

. 1 8 of Texas In 7 7 , he stocked a range in Oldham County, near Tascosa , with the LIT brand ; this ranch he sold four years later to the Prairie Cattle 2 - Company, a Scotch syndicate , for $ 5 which seemed to the thirty nine

-$ l d year rancher to be a fortune , but he soon learned that his world opened wider with each transaction and the demands on his estate became corre spon din gl y greater . Littl e fie l d By now Major had persuaded John Wilburn , James Phelps , h - ff and Thomas David White , t ree sons of his half brother , Thomas Je erson

in Littl e fiel d . White , to join the ranching ventures With their help , he opened the LFD spread on the Pecos River in New Mexico ; next came a model t r s ock fa m and apple orchard near Roswell , New Mexico , which he owned

Wil b u m with John Phelps White . In partnership with John White , he ac $ quired properties in Mason , Menard , and imble counties in Texas . 1 0 1 Littl efiel d In 9 , Major contracted with the Capitol Syndicate , the

r $ Chicago firm that const ucted the Texas Capitol , for the ellow House Di

’ $ I Littl e fie l d s T . vision of the Ranch , about acres With Major $ encouragement , the Santa Fe Railroad crossed the ellow House Ranch ,

- and he set aside a acre tract alongside the tracks for colonization .

Arthur P . Duggan , Sr . , the husband of a niece , was placed in charge of this

1 1 Littl efiel d venture , and in 9 3 the town of , in Lamb County , was opened for settlement .

Littl e fiel d 1 . 88 . Major and Mrs moved to Austin in 3 Soon thereafter,

1 8 0 the Major became a director of the State National Bank of Austin . In 9 ,

h is 1 he sold interest in this bank , and on July of that year, with a capital

ri stock of he organized his own bank , the Ame can National Bank m of Austin , Texas . He beca e its president , and banking Operations were opened in the Driskill Hotel , which he later bought .

1 0 - y In 9 3 , the Major moved his bank into new quarters , the nine stor

Littl efiel d b y its Building on Congress Avenue and Sixth Street , described “ builder as the most complete and comfortable building in the South . The Littlefi eld Building became a monument to the cattle empire which built

Littl e fiel d Six the fortune . large murals on the inside walls of the first floor ,

y $ el painted by E . Marvin Hennings of Chicago , portra ed scenes from the low House Ranch and his New Mexico apple orchard . An American eagle from one of the ranches perched with wings outstretched above the entrance . Other scenes of range life were depicted on the two massive bronze doors h ’ which fronted Congress Avenue . These doors , wit longhorn steers heads ff for handles , were modeled by H . Daniel Webster and cast by Ti any of $ m New ork . Many years later when the bank was oved , the doors were given to The University of Texas , where they are mounted on the ground floor of the Academic Center and Undergraduate Library as a permanent ’ memorial to Major George Littl e fie l d s contribution to Texas and the South . Eventually Major Littl e fiel d took a less active part in the Operations of h is bank and began to devote more of his time to pu blic affairs . An appoint Littl e fiel d tee of Governor O . B . Colquitt , Major became a member of the

1 1 a Board of Regents of The University of Texas in 9 1 . He was again p t pointed by Governor James E . Ferguson and served consecutively un il

1 2 0 . January , 9 , when he resigned because of failing health On November

m . 1 0 1 2 0 I a . , 9 , at approximately , the long and colorful life of Major Little - m m fiel d came to a peaceful end at the age of seventy eight . He was re e bered by those he left behind as a man of many arts, business . partner, cattleman , friend and counselor , benefactor , and philanthropist . He was variously described by those who knew him as a man for whom ” “ only the best was good enough ; the possessor of a mind like a steel trap ” “ ff - and the eye of an eagle ; gru , hard boiled , short and explosive in his manner of speaking , firm and perhaps vindictive toward his enemies, but ” “ ” “ generous ; neither a tight wad nor a skin flin t ; fond of the company of his friends . A man who never lost the human touch , he expected a square of cornbread beside his plate at every meal . In his pockets were dimes and “ ”

o . candy for his younger relatives , wh m he addressed as rooster His will pro vide d that his body servant be buried in the family plot with those whom he had served so faithfully .

was Littl efiel d a c Although he not a regular church member , Major knowledged allegiance to the Southern Presbyterian faith . He was a member of the Gonzales Commandery of $ nights Templar Mason and professed a l ff ways to be a Democrat . A true son of the South , he was never o ered and never asked for pardon from the United States Government for his part in the Civil War . Major Littl e fiel d acquired wealth with an inborn sense of obligation for i the responsib lities accompanying that wealth . These responsibilities he dis charged by private a n d public ph il a n th r o-pies with a generos ity for which the people of Texas will be forever grateful . The same vision and ability which made him a commanding figure in an era demanding men of exceptional character led him to invest himself and his wealth where it would bring the greatest return in terms of cultural growth for the area he loved . This investment has provided for Major George

Littl efie l d i an endur ng monument at The University of Texas , for which the buildings , walks , and books he gave are only the outward sign . The true monument to his vision lies somewhere among the imponderables between the motivation and accomplishment experienced by many generations of

m o . Texas students , a monument which ti e can never c rrupt

’ The ac counting of Major Littl e fiel d s gifts to the University is far more complex than a mere listing of the tangible assets he donated to the in stitu

’ Littl efiel d s v 1 1 1 1 2 0 tion . During ser ice on the Board of Regents from 9 to 9 , his bank frequently covered overdrafts for University operating expenses f without interest . He seemed always ready to of er himself and his wealth as a buffer whenever the University was threatened . When Governor James Ferguson vetoed the legislative appropriations for Operating the University

1 1 — 1 1 i m Littl e fiel d during the 9 7 9 9 b enniu , Major joined with his arch rival ,

George W . Brackenridge of San Antonio , to pledge this private fortunes to assure the continuation of The University of Texas . Perhaps his two most notable gifts to the University and to the pe ople of

Tex as were the Littl efiel d Fund for Southern His tory and the Wrenn Library . 1 1 Littl efiel d In April of 9 4 , Major established a fund for the foundation of a collection that shall be of fundamental value for a full and impart ial study ” e cessitv of the South and its part in American History . He saw clearly the n for providing adequate research facilities for the children growing up in the “ - post war South . In his own words , he wanted to insure that the children of the South be truthfully taught and persons matured since 1 8 60 be ” o given an opp rtunity to inform themselves correctly . His first gift was a trust fund of the interest from which was to be used for the pur of i chase Southern materials . This was augmented by gifts amount ng to i more than dur ng the next few years . Another was

h s added before i death . The fund has pro vided a distinguished research col

y s con tr ib u lection for The University of Texas Library , and man ignificant tions to the his tory of the United States have been derived from the col lections .

1 1 8 y In 9 , the John Henr Wrenn Library was acquired by Major Little

fie l rs m d for The Unive it y of Texas . This was a benefact ion of such i portance “ y $ s to the Universit that President in on could write , it $The Wrenn Li b r a r y ) se r ves perhaps to bring us into touch with the spiritual ideals of the institution beyond any other single gift which has ever been made in the ’ ” ffi University s life . Professor R . H . Gri th , the Pope scholar, brought to President $ inson his excitement about the possibility of acquiring the Wrenn

$ to o Littl efiel d Library . President inson appealed Maj r , then on the Board

’ Littl e fie l d s m of Regents . Major cancelled check for re ains with the Littl efiel d papers in the Univers ity Archives as mute evidence of Major ’ Littl efiel d s pr ompt understanding of the signific ance of the acquisition for the University and of his willingness to meet whatever demand his hope for m m T n Texas and the University ight ake on his generosity . his si gle action on the part of Major Littl e fiel d has been responsible more than any other factor for b rin ging The University of Texas to the attention of the world fraternity of scholars . Major Littl e fiel d would be pleased to know that the impetus given to the Univers ity by the purchase of the Wrenn Library has caused the research collections to grow until The Univers ity of Texas Library is now firmly es ta bl ish ed as one of the three or four most important collections in America .

’ The campus at Austin bears evidence everywhere of Major Littl e fiel d s

rs m e interest in the Unive ity community . The fountain executed by Po p o

Co in i f pp at the entrance to the South Mall is his gi t , as are the statues of notable Southerners which overlook the grass lawns and broad sidewalks t fi l i n . Lit l e e d lead ng to the Mai Building For the entire project, known as

Littl efie l d Memorial Gateway , he gave Major gave the fountains “ as a mem orial to the me n and women of the Confederacy who fought

’ with valor and suffered with fortitude that states rights be maintained , and m who , not dismayed by defeat , nor discouraged by isrule , builded from the ruins of a devastating war , a greater South .

’ Major Littl e fiel d s will left the sum of to be used for the erection ’ Littl efiel d of a girls dormitory . Alice Dormitory was named for his wife and

o . used , as he directed , for the express purp se of housing freshman girls The land on which the dormitory stands was also a gift from the Littl efi el d es m tate , as was an additional needed to co plete the building . When the old Main Building was declared structurally unsound prior to Major ’ Littl efie l d s death , he set aside in his will the sum of to be used for th e r construction of a new Main Building . This bequest came in the fo m of bonds which matured with a value of nearly

’ Littl e fiel d s As a last and most fitting gesture , Major will provided that the family home on the edge of the campus come to the University at

Littl efiel d m is the death of his wife . The Ho e one of the few remaining ex amples of the grand $ ictorian mansions which once abounded in the neigh m m b or h ood . f It has been a land ark for decades , re embered with af ection by all those who have been part of the University community as a su rvival f o from an elegant and gracious way of li e not often found t day . The home has been renovated so it may serve as a setting for The Uni Ad versity of Texas System Development Board , an agency of the Central ministration charged with responsibility for securing su pport for the contin uing growth and improvement of the University .

first- floor The main rooms have been faithfully restored , providing spa cious halls for official University receptions . Each visitor will feel a kinship

Littl efiel d in his regard for the University with Major , who lived there for more than a quart er of a century in close proximity with the institution he loved and for which he did so much . It is entirely appropriate that the Littl efiel d Home be dedicated now to the purposes for which Major Littl efi el d worked so diligently . THE LITTLEFIELD HOME

$ $ $ $ T H E $ A NTA G E $ $ I NT A T 2 4 TH S T$ E E T

n - and Whitis Avenue , this toweri g rust red structure watches over the bustle of the Uni — vers ity campus as it has for many years .

- - The brick and sandstone edifice , the prop

1 er ty of the University since 9 35 , stands as a

symbol of thoughtfulness of others , a reminder ’ of one of th e institution s great benefactors . It has been renovated primarily to house

’ the University System s Development Board , a department of Central Administration

through which private philanthropy channels . The upstairs and parts of the first floor were preserved and converted into

ff o o ices . The main rooms on the ground flo r were restored as authentically as possible . Their use is limited to offi cial functions . Littlefi eld Home is the only remaining example of the grand $ ictorian m ansions that once were numerous in the neighborhood . Now it also is the

n oldest remaining building on the campus . It is a landmark k own to all who ever have been a part of the University community .

. Littl efiel d m 1 88 When Major and Mrs ca e to Austin in 3 , they located on o the property where the mansion stands today . Their first h me was a two story frame house on what was then known as Orange Street and Whitis

. s 1 8 Avenue When construction on the exi ting structure was begun in 93 , the frame house was moved abou t one block away and was renovated as

’ h e Littl e fi el d r . t s n a wedding gift to a niece It was t aditio , in addition to edu i cat ng seventeen nieces and twelve nephews , to present each bride with a

m or to on e e ma n s ho e , the money buy , and to stablish each young in busine s .

th e He James W . Wahrenberger was chosen as architect . was the eldest “ ” m son of the Austin pioneer Dut ch John Wahrenberger fa ily . Schooled in

x 1 8 Europe , he had been practic ing in Te as since 7 7 , and now resided in San

x s o An tonio . His entry in the Te a Capitol design competiti n won second place

rs . e hono Influence of European archit cture , especially that of French

C Littl e fi el d m hateaux , is evident in his Ho e design . Construction was started in 1 8 9 3 and not completed un t il the Spring of

1 8 B r dson s 94 . One writer named the contractors as y Waterson , but thi “ ” B r dson record has been lost to all subsequent research . The name y was

r n found on a str uctural membe during 1 9 6 7 renovation . A constructio — value of is recorded in the D ir e ctor y of th e City ofA ust in 1 893 94 .

s r b v Thi , of cou se , did not include the cost of the interior decorations done

Marshall Field 81 Compa ny of Chicago .

- Littl efiel d Home is constructed of red brown brick with sandston e trim .

- Joints of the brickwork are p ointed with a beaded marble dust mortar . Polished blue granite columns flank the entrance of both levels of the two l story veranda . Co umn capitals and bases are of white limestone . The steps

t m - leading o the osaic tiled porch are white marble . I ron grillwork abounds

— in on the exterior of the building porch and roof railings , on front and side

$ doors and over fanlights . ’ — Littl e fiel d s initials appear repeatedly throughout the house on capitals

ri of columns , on shields of bronze in the grillwork of exte or doors and carved into designs of stairway railings .

- o s o The steep pitched mansard ro f erupt in a variety of turrets , d rmer win

- fin i a l s . i dows, high pitched spires and Roofing mater als are slate tiles laid in patterns and pressed tin . The exterior design is the t y pical $ ictori an scheme of a central entrance

l - f anked by a bay windowed , projecting parlor on the left and a gallery ex

m s l tending fro the entrance around the right . Inside , the floor plan ba ical y is the central hall with rooms on either side . In the house , wide cross halls on

rs m l both fi t and second floors created spa cious fa i y living areas .

The structure has remained virtually unaltered . Shortly after the original

- stor v part was completed , a two addition was made at the back , discernible - only from the attic and basement . Housed within the total seventeen room m — dwelling are the usual for al parlor reception rooms , library , dining room ,

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m . kitchen and servants quarters downstairs , bedrooms and bathroo u pstairs

Interior walls are a combination of natural woods , lath and plaster . Fine ’ - woods found throughout the house include curly walnut , bird s eye maple ,

- - vertical and curly pine , and oak . Above the three foot high wood wainscot on

- most walls is an eight inch strip of ornate pressed board . A plaster frieze

x decorates the tops of m ost walls . The light fi tures are suspended from o -b um moulded plaster medallions in the ceiling . There are five marble c al

ri ing fireplaces, and some of the light fixtures provided both elect cal and

e m gas light . A speaking tub ran to the kitchen from the for al dining room and master b e drooms ; a dumb -waiter opened on the back hallway

— - - i r to The gold and white receiving draw ng rooms , refe red as the front par

- - $ rs . Littl e fiel d floor lor by , contain a to ceiling framed mirror and a ceiling mural . These rooms were the scene for several family weddings .

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b . Across the vesti ule , to the right of the entrance , was the Major s library

Griffi ns decorate the cor ner mantel . Two small stained glass windows flank i o a full sash window in the corner turret . On a table before the south w nd ws ’ Littl e fiel d s sat an alabaster statuette of two fighting bulls , one bearing brand — a reminder of t h e source of his comfortable state . m The formal dining room , across the hall fro the library , is lighted by a ’ ri imme di bay of tall windows which fill the exte or walls . A butler s pantry is ately behind the room .

o . A wide , carpeted stairway leads to the second flo r The upstairs plan was

o o nearly identical to the first floor . Four bedro ms repeated the f ur major m ’ . o roo s below To the rear was a bathroom and the servants bedro ms . At the back of the lot is a two - story carriage house where the Major kept

. e t fine , matched teams of horses and the carriages In the upp r par were the

’ Littl efiel d l o s o . living quarters of Nathan Stokes , servant fr m chi dhood St kes

I 1 6 d is died February , 93 , at the estimated age of one hundre and five , and buried beside the Major in the family plot at Oakwood Cemetery . The car r ia ge house also has been renovated and now houses the Uni versity Informa tion Service .

l ot o i ri The was b rdered w th a sandst one wall . A red cement car age drive

m t h e a o curved fro stable to the street , coming l ngside the house under a — ’ . i o e i porte cochere Red hibiscus, the Major s favor te fl w r , l ned the drive . In

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. rm the north yard was Mrs Littl e fiel d s rose garden . In the style of fo al of gardens , yard shrubs were kept neatly trimmed in the shape chairs , cones and balls .

m 1 8 1 8 The open house , or at ho e , was held December , 94 , and the house was praised as “ one of the handsomest and costliest residences in the ” state , and a credit to Austin .

s m m Of thi and si ilar ho es , typical of the culture of the Texas aristocracy of

Th e -C a ttl e $ in s this period , Lewis Atherton wrote in g “ Those who built or bought homes in town seemed to have had no par

’ ticul a r Lit l e fie l d - . t s preference as to architectural styles George W . red tur r e te d home on the edge of the University of Texas campus would have fitted nicely am ong the residences of prosperous businessmen in many Eastern cities they did advertise the solid financial standing of their occupants , ” for only a wealthy man could afford them . In 1 9 36 the home became the ofli ces of the Austin and Univers ity Cen ten n ia l 1 8 m i Exposition . In 93 , the Music Depart ent occupied it unt l its

m 1 2 1 building was co pleted in 94 . From that time , until 95 7 , the Naval — Reserve Officer Training Corps was housed there , with its anti aircraft guns

r e on the front lawn and firing range in the attic . After some repairs and m painting , the house was returned to use as usic practice rooms in the fall

1 1 of 9 5 7 . It remained in this use , even during 95 9 plans to tu rn it over to ’ - l . the Ex Students Association , unti restoration began The main changes in the restoration included replacing the dumb -waiter i with an elevator , adding central heating , air condition ng and modern

r ff . plumbing fixtures , and installing mode n lighting fixtures in o ice areas Restoration of the fifteen different kinds of woods in the house was done b y hand . i t Downstairs draperies and wall treatment are l ke the original , along wi h light fixtures similar to those originally used . The first floor porch has the

ri n l a tter n original tile , replaced in its o gi al p ; the upstairs porch has a new

floor . The exterior of the house has been cleaned and painted . M . Way ne

Bell was the architect for the project .