University Removes Slave-Owning Benefactor’s Name, His Family Demands Their $51 Million Back

If your name isn’t good enough for a college, is your money? Such a question has been raised over a now-deleted donator in Virginia.

The situation dates back to 1846, when a man named Thomas C. Williams attended Richmond College. In the 1880s, he served as a trustee.

More from the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

After his death, his family made a gift to [the college] that helped establish the law school. When Richmond College became the University of Richmond in 1920, it began referring to the law school as the T.C. Williams School of Law.

That was then, this is now. In September of 2022, the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to change the name to the University of Richmond School of Law.

At the time, President Kevin Hallock and the board addressed criticism via a statement:

We recognize that some may be disappointed or disagree with this decision. We also recognize the role the Williams family has played here and respect the full and complete history of the institution.

He may have played an important part, but according to tax records, T.C.’s successful tobacco business owned 25 to 40 slaves.

Six months before T.C.’s booting, half a dozen campus buildings were re-labeled. Gone were references to those who’d possessed slaves — including Robert Ryland, the school’s first president in 1840.

On March 26th, a new policy was instated:

No building, program, professorship, or other entity at the University should be named for a person who directly engaged in the trafficking and/or enslavement of others or openly advocated for the enslavement of people.

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