William Lambdin Prather

{{Short description|American academic administrator (1848–1905)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = William Lambdin Prather

| image = Williamlambdinprather.jpg

| alt = Portrait photograph of Prather

| caption =

| order = 3rd

| title = President of the University of Texas at Austin

| term_start = 1899

| term_end = 1905

| predecessor = George T. Winston

| successor = David F. Houston

| birth_date = {{birth date|1848|5|1}}

| birth_place = Near Paris, Tennessee, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|1905|7|24|1848|5|1}}

| death_place = Austin, Texas, U.S.

| alma_mater = Washington and Lee University (LL.B.)

| occupation = Lawyer, academic administrator

| spouse = {{Marriage|Frances H. Kirkpatrick|1875}}

| children = 5

}}

William Lambdin Prather (May 1, 1848 – July 24, 1905) was an American lawyer. He served as the third president of the University of Texas at Austin and as a member of the university's board of regents.

Prather was born near Paris, Tennessee, in 1848, and moved to Texas with his family in 1854. He attended Washington and Lee University from 1867 to 1871, earning a Bachelor of Laws degree. He studied under Robert E. Lee during his time there and was a pallbearer at Lee's funeral in 1870. Prather was admitted to the bar in 1871 and practiced law in Waco, Texas, until 1899, serving as the city attorney from 1875 to 1878 and as the president of the state bar association from 1895 to 1896.{{cite book |last=MacLean |first=George E. |chapter=Sketch of the Life of William L. Prather, Vice President of the Association |title=Transactions and Proceedings of the National Association of State Universities in the United States of America, Volume 3 |date=1905 |publisher=National Association of State Universities |pages=162–164 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SbWgAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA162}}{{cite web |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/prather-william-lambdin |title=Prather, William Lambdin |last=Battle |first=W. J. |date=1976 |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |access-date=March 18, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.utsystem.edu/board-of-regents/former-regents/william-lambdin-prather |title=William Lambdin Prather |date=March 11, 2021 |publisher=The University of Texas System |access-date=March 18, 2024}}

In 1887, Prather was appointed as a regent of the University of Texas. He became vice chairman of the board of regents in 1895 and chairman in 1899. That same year, he was named as the university's third president and its first president from Texas; he held the position until his death. While president, he served terms as vice president of the National Educational Association and vice president of the National Association of State Universities.{{cite web |url=https://president.utexas.edu/past-presidents/william-lambdin-prather |title=William Lambdin Prather |website=Office of the President |date=January 11, 2016 |publisher=The University of Texas at Austin |access-date=March 18, 2024}} Prather introduced the phrase "the eyes of Texas are upon you" when speaking to students, an expression that was once credited to a similar expression by Lee but now believed to be inspired by a quote from Confederate general John Gregg. The words were incorporated into the school's song, "The Eyes of Texas", in 1903.{{cite web |url=https://www.tshaonline.org/texas-day-by-day/entry/132 |title=University of Texas anthem premiers in Austin |publisher=Texas State Historical Association |access-date=March 18, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/ut-austin-eyes-of-texas-song-racist/ |title=The Damning History Behind UT's 'The Eyes of Texas' Song |last=Levin |first=Joe |date=June 17, 2020 |website=Texas Monthly |access-date=March 18, 2024 |url-access=limited}}{{cite web |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/university-texas-report-will-find-that-its-alma-mater-the-eyes-of-texas-no-racist-intent/ |title=A University of Texas Report Will Find That 'The Eyes of Texas' Has 'No Racist Intent' |last1=Levin |first1=Joe |last2=Maisel |first2=Ivan |date=March 7, 2021 |website=Texas Monthly |access-date=March 18, 2024 |url-access=limited}}

Prather married Frances H. Kirkpatrick in 1875; they had two sons and three daughters. He received honorary law degrees from Washington and Lee in 1900 and from the University of Pennsylvania in 1901. He died in Austin, Texas, in 1905 from heart disease.