University Of Texas Removes Statues Of Woodrow Wilson, Jefferson Davis

AUSTIN, Texas — Statues of Jefferson Davis and Woodrow Wilson were removed Sunday from the limestone pedestals at the University of Texas on which they have stood for 82 years. “This is an iconic moment. It really shows the power of student leadership,” said Gregory Vincent, UT’s vice president for diversity and community engagement, referring to a Student Government resolution that called for removing the statue of Davis, president of the Confederate States, from its prominent setting on the university’s Main Mall. The Davis statue will be installed in 18 months or so in UT’s Briscoe Center for American History while Wilson’s will be placed at a yet-to-be-decided outdoor location on campus, according to university officials. The Texas Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans failed to win a court injunction to block the plan. Kirk Lyons, the Confederate group’s lawyer, said he would press on with a legal fight to return “Brother Jeff” and “Brother Woodrow,” as he calls them, to the mall.