Henry St. George Tucker

Biography

As the century came to a close, Henry St. George Tucker, known as Harry, was chosen Professor of Law at the school that his father had headed. He was a graduate of Washington and Lee University and its law school. Harry had already served three terms in the U.S. Congress when he joined the law school faculty. When Graves left in 1899, Harry Tucker was named dean. As new dean, he was instrumental in raising funds for a John Randolph Tucker Memorial building -- the first building on this campus devoted solely to the law school. When not chosen as president of W&L (after serving as acting president), Tucker felt impelled to leave the university in 1902.

Though his W&L law school activity was a small part of a full life in legal education, the practice of law, politics, and public service, he continued to maintain a residence in Lexington. Three instances of Harry Tucker's public service are especially noteworthy: his participation on the General Education Board, his presidency of the Jamestown Tercentennial Exposition, and his presidency of the American Bar Association. Tucker died at Col Alto, his Lexington home, on July 23, 1932.