UT Austin Uproots Statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis

The statue will be moved to a museum.

ByABC News
August 30, 2015, 1:14 PM
A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis is moved from its location in front of the school's main tower on the University of Texas campus, Aug. 30, 2015, in Austin, Texas.
A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis is moved from its location in front of the school's main tower on the University of Texas campus, Aug. 30, 2015, in Austin, Texas.
Eric Gay/AP Photo

— -- A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis was uprooted from its spot at the University of Texas at Austin today.

The statue, which had been a target of vandalism, will be moved from the main area of campus to the school's Briscoe Center history museum.

PHOTO: A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis is moved from its location in front of the school's main tower the University of Texas campus, Aug. 30, 2015, in Austin, Texas.
A statue of Confederate President Jefferson Davis is moved from its location in front of the school's main tower the University of Texas campus, Aug. 30, 2015, in Austin, Texas.

University President Gregory Fenves said in a letter on the school website, "While every historical figure leaves a mixed legacy, I believe Jefferson Davis is in a separate category, and that it is not in the university’s best interest to continue commemorating him on our Main Mall.

"Davis had few ties to Texas; he played a unique role in the history of the American South that is best explained and understood through an educational exhibit," Fenves wrote.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans, a Confederate heritage group, had sued in an attempt to stop the university from moving the statue.

PHOTO: In this May 5, 2015 file photo, a statue of Jefferson Davis is seen on the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas.
In this May 5, 2015 file photo, a statue of Jefferson Davis is seen on the University of Texas campus in Austin, Texas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.