DAVID HARPER MEANS
(1913-1987)
Meet David
Professor David Harper Means taught property, conflicts of law, and jurisprudence at the University of South Carolina School of Law starting in 1949. When he was a boy, he was educated in Columbia’s very own public schools. He pursued higher education at the University of South Carolina, eventually obtaining his law degree. Means also served in the military and became a Silver Star infantry captain. Widely regarded as a gentleman and a mentor, Means was named University Chair Professor of Law as well as a David W. Robinson Professor of Law.
​
Image courtesy of University of South Carolina Law Library https://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/law/internal/general_information/artwork/david_harper_means.php
David Harper Means' South Carolina
Means lived through a plethora of cultural events, including that of the roaring twenties. While the idea of the economic boom was not truly felt across every demographic, the University of South Carolina, Means’ future college, experienced success. The number of students enrolled at the University doubled, and women comprised a quarter of all students by the end of the decade. However, the state’s economy, which was bound heavily to cotton, suffered due to the fall in cotton prices after the first world war.
Image courtesy of University of South Carolina https://www.sc.edu/uofsc/posts/2020/08/sc_womens_suffrage_movement_reconstruction_to_ratification.php#.YHjQ0pNKg1I
Stan Lacy
Means was often thought of as a mentor and an honorable person. One pupil of his that he had a positive effect on is Stan Lacy, a graduate of the Law School. Means was Lacy’s first professor in law school, and he also was the Dean of Admissions. Before law school, Lacy was stationed in Vietnam. If not for Means, Lacy would have missed out on enrolling. Lacy describes Means’ class as a lecture from memory; it was a time before the advanced technology from today’s world.
McClintic v. Davis
Means was a professor of property law. During his tenure at the School of Law, he certainly would have paid attention to several cases debating property in South Carolina. One of these, McClintic v. Davis, was heard in 1955 by the state supreme court, 6 years after Means began teaching at the university. The issue arose over a boundary dispute, which resulted in one person building a garage on
​
​
​
Image courtesy of Hennikers Solicitors https://www.hennikers.com.au/conveyancing-and-property-law/
what another person believed was their property. Due to several estoppels, the court decided that the person could not be required to remove the portion of the garage.
In the Stacks
Means, David H. [The Collected Legal Papers of David Harper Means.]. s.l: s.n., 1984.
References
Collins & Lacy. “Back to School with a Look Back.” Collins & Lacy, November 23, 2015. https://www.collinsandlacy.com/back-to-school-with-a-look-back/.
​
Horn, Chris. “The Roaring '20s - America and UofSC a Century Ago.” University of South Carolina. Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.sc.edu/uofsc/posts/2020/10/roaring_twenties.php#.YGeMk7RKg1I.​
​
“McClintic v. Davis, 90 S.E.2d 364, 228 S.C. 378.” CourtListener. Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/1273507/mcclintic-v-davis/.
​
“Tools & Resources.” David Harper Means - My Law School | University of South Carolina. Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/law/internal/general_information/artwork/david_harper_means.php.