History. Family. Carolina.

“My philanthropy to the law school is because of my love for the University. It’s also because I had family that has been very much involved in the life of the University from the beginning and I wanted to help illustrate their participation and involvement.” —Thomas Ashe Lockhart ’51

Brilliant lawyers go back generations in the Lockhart family, originating with Samuel Ashe, who served as governor of North Carolina, one of UNC’s founders and the first judge in North Carolina after the colony declared independence from Great Britain.

In 1999, Tom Lockhart honored his ancestor by endowing the Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professorship of Constitutional Law. He also commissioned a ceremonial mace in honor of former dean Judith Welch Wegner and in memory of his father, James Alexander Lockhart Jr., himself a distinguished attorney and decorated WWI veteran.

Photo credit: Donn Young

Read the complete Carolina Story from the UNC School of Law…

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