ABSTRACT
The dismissal of Homer Rainey from his post as president of the University of Texas (UT) stands as one of the most celebrated and misunderstood academic freedom cases of the twentieth century. Scholars have placed Texas in both the South and the West in attempts to decipher the complex social, political, and economic systems of the enormous state. The majority of Texans resided in the eastern portion of the state between 1830 and 1900. UT clashed with the state government and citizens over the issues of political interference and institutional autonomy from the beginning. Ashbel Smith, an influential board member and Yale graduate, stated to the Austin American Statesman in April 1881 that UT would only succeed if protected from political interference. Texas was traditionalist in that it was governed by a smug group of oligarchs committed to protecting the status quo.
