Answered By: Julie Trumble Last Updated: Nov 30, 2015 Views: 62
The 17th Legislature of the State of Texas authorized the establishment of the University of Texas on March 30, 1881 and selected September 6 as the day for the referendum that would establish the location of the university. The results of the September 6 vote were announced on October 17, 1881. Austin was selected as the city for the main university and Galveston was selected as the location for the medical department. In June of 1891, the regents decided the school's first session would begin on October 1, 1891 and end on April 30, 1892. The first faculty meeting was held on September 29, 1891. Opening ceremonies for Old Red were held on October 5, 1891. In 1920, the name changed in the School of Medicine catalogue from "Medical Department" to "Medical Branch".
This information is from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston: A Seventy-five Year History (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1967) and Burns CR. Saving lives, training caregivers, making discoveries: A centennial history of the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 2003) and Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/kcu29, accessed December 13, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association).