law notes - University of Kentucky College of Law

A modest beginning
A centennial anniversary celebration
would be incomplete without a look
back at the first several years of the
UK College of Law. From a modest
beginning, our institution has grown
and adapted to meet the demands
of a developing legal profession.
When the College of Law began
its first classes in September 1908,
it was housed in two rooms of the
University’s Education Building.
The course of study was, at that
time, two years. The college had
few students, few textbooks and
few faculty members. The faculty
consisted entirely of W.T. Lafferty,
Charles Kerr and T.E. Moore, each of
whom had only limited experience
teaching law. As Dean Lafferty later
said, that first year ended “as well
as might be expected.”
The same faculty returned for the
second year of classes. The course of
study had increased to three years,
the library had increased to around
300 books and enrollment had
increased from 28 to 40 students.
At this time, no post-secondary
education was required to enroll in
law school, the only requisite was a
high school education.
The College of Law continued to
grow in its third year and added
a new faculty member. Judge
Lyman Chalkley, former dean of
the law schools at Transylvania
and the University of the South,
replaced T.E. Moore, who had
resigned. Enrollment increased to
sixty students. The library now had
approximately 800 volumes and the
College got a new home, an entire
floor of the Science Building.
By September 1913, the College
had an enrollment well over 100
students and a library of around
5,000 volumes. There were eight
full-time faculty plus eight lecturers
and two members of the University
faculty who gave lectures on
general topics useful to lawyers.
During the summer of 1912, the UK
College of Law had been admitted
as a member of the Association of
American Law Schools.
Like most of the nation, the
College faced a difficult period
a few years later during the First
World War. At the beginning of
the 1918-1919 school year, 35
students were enrolled and most
of these were members of the
Students Army Training Corps. The
curriculum reflected the times, as
classes were offered in Military and
International Law. Only two issues
of the Kentucky Law Journal were
published during the year. Faculty
members had to assist with publication
since there were not enough
students to comprise an editorial
board. The College suffered seven
casualties during the war, including
Professor Reuben Hutchcraft (see
sidebar). However, more prosperous
times were to come, as more than
30 students returned during the
following spring semester. The
College would again soon thrive. •
by Dane Bowles
Seven members of
the UK Law family
lost their lives
in World War I
Professor made ultimate sacrifice during WWI
Reuben Brent Hutchcraft Jr. was
born on December 15, 1886 in
Paris, Kentucky. After receiving
a bachelor’s degree in arts at
Kentucky (Transylvania) University
he studied law at Harvard,
graduating in 1910 and returning
to Paris to practice law. While
serving as a representative in the
General Assembly of Kentucky,
Hutchcraft was asked to join as
professor in the Law Department.
In the March 1919 Kentucky
Law Journal, UK Law Professor
Lyman Chalkey wrote of Hutchcraft,
“When the call came to his
people to send their young men
to arms in defense of their soil,
their traditions, their faith, their
liberty and their posterity… he
answered eagerly as the highest
opportunity that could come to
him to serve.” Captain Hutchcraft
received the Distinguished
Service medal after his death for
extraordinary heroism. Under his
leadership, his platoon reached
the most advanced position by
any United Stated troops during
the engagement. Within 30
yards of enemy guns, Captain
Hutchcraft was killed near
Sedan, France on November
7, 1918, four days before the
armistice was signed. •
• Robert E. Cullen
• Chester B. Helm
• Reuben Hutchcraft
• Dexter W. Ramsey
• Joseph C. Reynolds
• Raymond Schoberth
• Stanley H. Smith
celebrating 100 years of excellence • Fall 2008 9