W. Page Keeton
Encyclopedia
Werdner Page Keeton was an attorney and dean of the University of Texas School of Law
for a quarter century.
in Atascosa County, Texas
. He attended the University of Texas at Austin where he was a member of the Tejas Club and the Texas Cowboys
. He graduated first in his class at the University of Texas School of Law in 1931 and joined the University of Texas law faculty the following year at the age of 23. He earned a Doctor of Juridical Science
from Harvard University
in 1936.
for three years (1946-1949). He was appointed dean of the University of Texas Law School in 1949, a position he held until 1974. During the 1957-1958 school year Keeton was a visiting torts professor at UCLA Law School. At the University of Texas, he is credited with increasing the funding for the law school and making it possible to assemble a faculty that ranked among the best in the United States.
Keeton was a prolific writer and one of the foremost authorities on the law of torts. He was co-author of the most-cited work in Tort
law, Prosser & Keeton on Torts.
Over the years Keeton dealt with a number of individual instances in which a prominent alumnus or powerful politician would urge him to silence or get rid of faculty members who were espousing unpopular or unorthodox political and social ideas. Dean Keeton would say:
“Well, we have people on the faculty that feel just as you do about the [particular social] issue that you're talking about, except for one thing. They believe in the idea that we ought to have freedom of thought on the faculty, and we ought to tolerate people on the faculty that disagree . . .. In other words, they agree with your position on this issue, except they don't agree with your position that nobody else ought to be on the law faculty with a different position.”
Upon retirement, Keeton offered, "If I had it to do all over again, I don't know that I could do near as well."
; national chair of the Council of Legal Education Opportunity; and was presented the Torch of Liberty Award of the Anti-Defamation League
. The City of Austin renamed 26th Street so that The University of Texas School of Law is now located at 727 Dean Keeton Street.
, and grandfather of Scott McClellan
, former White House Press Secretary
under U.S. President George W. Bush
, and Mark McClellan
, who headed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
and was Commissioner
of the Food and Drug Administration
in the second Bush administration.
Keeton's grandsons Scott and Mark McClellan have both quoted Keeton's words as inspiring them to public service: "It's not the dollars you make; it's the difference you make."
University of Texas School of Law
The University of Texas School of Law, also known as UT Law, is an ABA-certified American law school located on the University of Texas at Austin campus. The law school has been in operation since the founding of the University in 1883. It was one of only two schools at the University when it was...
for a quarter century.
Education
Keeton was born in McCoyMcCoy, Texas
McCoy, Texas may refer to the following communities:*McCoy, Atascosa County, Texas*McCoy, Floyd County, Texas*McCoy, Kaufman County, Texas*McCoy, Panola County, Texas*McCoy, Red River County, Texas...
in Atascosa County, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. He attended the University of Texas at Austin where he was a member of the Tejas Club and the Texas Cowboys
Texas Cowboys
Texas Cowboys is an honorary men's service organization at The University of Texas at Austin. Founded in 1922, its members include some of the University's most distinguished students and alumni...
. He graduated first in his class at the University of Texas School of Law in 1931 and joined the University of Texas law faculty the following year at the age of 23. He earned a Doctor of Juridical Science
Doctor of Juridical Science
Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of the Science of Law, Scientiae Juridicae Doctor , abbreviated J.S.D. or S.J.D., is a research doctorate in law and equivalent to the PhD It is offered primarily in the United States, where it originated, and in Canada...
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1936.
Career as law school dean
Keeton served as dean of the law school at the University of OklahomaUniversity of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
for three years (1946-1949). He was appointed dean of the University of Texas Law School in 1949, a position he held until 1974. During the 1957-1958 school year Keeton was a visiting torts professor at UCLA Law School. At the University of Texas, he is credited with increasing the funding for the law school and making it possible to assemble a faculty that ranked among the best in the United States.
Keeton was a prolific writer and one of the foremost authorities on the law of torts. He was co-author of the most-cited work in Tort
Tort
A tort, in common law jurisdictions, is a wrong that involves a breach of a civil duty owed to someone else. It is differentiated from a crime, which involves a breach of a duty owed to society in general...
law, Prosser & Keeton on Torts.
Over the years Keeton dealt with a number of individual instances in which a prominent alumnus or powerful politician would urge him to silence or get rid of faculty members who were espousing unpopular or unorthodox political and social ideas. Dean Keeton would say:
“Well, we have people on the faculty that feel just as you do about the [particular social] issue that you're talking about, except for one thing. They believe in the idea that we ought to have freedom of thought on the faculty, and we ought to tolerate people on the faculty that disagree . . .. In other words, they agree with your position on this issue, except they don't agree with your position that nobody else ought to be on the law faculty with a different position.”
Foundation founder
Keeton considered his greatest accomplishment as dean the formation of The University of Texas Law School Foundation, a separate educational corporation with a "powerful board, [one] that the administration just couldn't brush off." The members of the Foundation Board were prominent and successful lawyers who could contribute funds, raise funds, assure other alumni that their gifts would be used for the law school and not some other purpose, and resist efforts by the university administration and the legislature to reduce the law school's funding in response to its successes in fund-raising. As Dean Keeton later summarized his thinking, "it pays to have a power structure of your own." When the chancellor of the university objected to the fact that the existence of the Law School Foundation's Board alongside the University's Board of Regents meant "that you'd have two boards to deal with, and you'd multiply your problems," Keeton responded: "Look, it's better to have money and problems than no money."Upon retirement, Keeton offered, "If I had it to do all over again, I don't know that I could do near as well."
Honors
Keeton served as president of the Association of American Law SchoolsAssociation of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
; national chair of the Council of Legal Education Opportunity; and was presented the Torch of Liberty Award of the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
. The City of Austin renamed 26th Street so that The University of Texas School of Law is now located at 727 Dean Keeton Street.
Family
Keeton was the father of former Texas Comptroller and gubernatorial candidate Carole Keeton StrayhornCarole Keeton Strayhorn
Carole Keeton Strayhorn is the former Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts....
, and grandfather of Scott McClellan
Scott McClellan
Scott McClellan is a former White House Press Secretary for President George W. Bush, and author of a controversial No. 1 New York Times bestseller about the Bush Administration titled What Happened. He replaced Ari Fleischer as press secretary in July 2003 and served until May 10, 2006...
, former White House Press Secretary
White House Press Secretary
The White House Press Secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the government administration....
under U.S. President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, and Mark McClellan
Mark McClellan
Mark Barr McClellan is currently the Director of the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform, Senior Fellow in Economic Studies and Leonard D. Schaeffer Director's Chair in Health Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. McClellan served as Commissioner of the United States...
, who headed the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services , previously known as the Health Care Financing Administration , is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services that administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer...
and was Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
of the Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
in the second Bush administration.
Keeton's grandsons Scott and Mark McClellan have both quoted Keeton's words as inspiring them to public service: "It's not the dollars you make; it's the difference you make."