AUSTIN — In late December, a statue with ties to the Confederacy is going to be reinstalled on the University of Texas at Austin campus -- more than a year after it was originally removed from the main mall of the campus.
In a letter to students and staff Thursday, Pres. Greg Fenves said the statue of former Texas Gov. James Stephen Hogg would be placed between the main building and the Will C. Hogg building, which is named after the former Texas governor's son.
In 2017, The Hogg statue and three other statues with ties to the Confederacy were removed from the campus. The other three statues are now a part of the collection at the Briscoe Center for American History for "scholarly study," but Pres. Fenves said there was always a plan in place to add the Hogg statue back to the campus.
"James Hogg was a child during the Civil War and would go on to become the first Texas-born governor, serving for four years. Governor Hogg has a complicated and nuanced legacy," Fenves said. "He was a champion of public and higher education, and he defended the economic interests of citizens by passing anti-monopoly laws. He also created the Railroad Commission of Texas."
Fenves added later that Hoggs' passions were occasionally conflicting with him being against the "mobocracy" of lynchings but supporting segregation legislation. Fenves said the history of Hogg and his decedents couldn't be overlooked, with many going on later to become benefactors and leaders at UT Austin.
"There are statues, names and inscriptions throughout the Forty Acres that tell the story of Texas. Governor Hogg and his descendants made many contributions to UT Austin and to the state. His statue has been part of the campus for more than 80 years and will continue to represent the legacy of the Hogg family in its new location," Fenves said.