Happy 150th Birthday, Peter J. Shields: Celebrating the Namesake of Shields Library

April 4, 2012 marks what would have been Peter J. Shields 150th birthday. Have you ever wondered about the namesake of Shields Library? Peter J. Shields (1862-1962) was a Superior Court Judge in Sacramento, California. Shields, often referred to as one of the founding fathers of the University Farm, (now UC Davis), helped to write the legislation for the creation of the Davis campus.

In 1972, the campus honored Peter J. Shields by naming the main library building in his memory. Other campus landmarks that bear his name include: Peter J. Shields Avenue, the street directly north of the Library, and the Shields Oak Grove in the Arboretum.

Special Collections holds the Peter J. Shields Collection, which contains his personal correspondence and speeches, as well as the original draft of the bill for purchasing land for the University Farm.

This small exhibit contains images of and quotations from Shields as well as pages from his bill titled, An Act Providing for the Purchase of a University Farm, 1905.