Benton College of Law explained

Benton College of Law was a law school in St. Louis, Missouri. It opened in as Kent School of Law, and incorporated as Benton School of Law in 1897. George L. Corlis was its dean. James Avery Webb helped establish the school.^[1]

The school initially only offered night classes.^[2] In 1899, an act of the Missouri legislature allowed graduates to be admitted to the Missouri bar without taking the bar exam.^[3] By 1921, the college was offering both day and night classes.^[4] It closed in 1937.^[5]

Several documents related to the college are extant including copies of addresses given to graduating classes.^[6] Henry S. Priest spoke to the graduating class in 1914.^[7]

Alumni

• Myles P. Dyer^[8]
• W. J. Doran^[9]
• Aloys P. Kaufmann
• Richard Ralph (politician)^[10]
• John Keating Regan
• Marion Charles Matthes
• Amabel Anderson Arnold^[11]
• Jacob Edwin Meeker
• Thomas C. Hennings Jr.
• William McChesney Martin

Notes and References

1. Web site: Who's who in Finance, Banking, and Insurance. July 28, 1911. Who's Who in Finance, Incorporated (N.Y.). Google Books.
2. News: 1897-11-12. Benton College of Law. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. subscription. 2021-07-29. Newspapers.com.
3. News: 1899-09-12. Benton College of Law. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. subscription. 2021-07-29. Newspapers.com.
4. News: 1921-08-14. Benton College of Law in Second Quarter Century. St. Louis Star and Times. subscription. 2021-07-29. Newspapers.com.
5. Johnson. Phillip. December 2018. The Original Failing Law School: Misappropriation, Cronyism, and Fisticuffs at the Benton College of Law . Law and History Review. 1. 4. 2021-07-28.
6. Web site: Benton College of Law (Saint Louis, Mo.) [WorldCat Identities]].
7. Web site: Benton College of Law (St. Louis, Mo.) | The Online Books Page. onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu.
8. Book: Dwight H. Brown . Official Manual State of Missouri 1941-1942 . Mid-State Printing Company . Jefferson City, Missouri . 73.
9. Book: Dwight H. Brown. Official Manual State of Missouri 1939-1940 . . Jefferson City, Missouri . 60.
10. Book: Charles U. Becker. Official Manual State of Missouri 1931-1932 . . Jefferson City, Missouri . 60.
11. Web site: Women's Role in Missouri History, 1821-1971. MISSOURI ALMANAC, 1971-1972. 4 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20180120073949/http://law.wustl.edu/Staff/Taylor/WOMEN/MOOFFMAN/mooff2/1stlib.htm. 20 January 2018. dead.