History of Stetson Law

Florida's First Law School

Stetson University College of Law humbly began on Oct. 2, 1900, with five students from Florida. Since then, the state's oldest law school has trained thousands to become legal experts and societal leaders.

In 1954, Stetson Law moved from DeLand to a beautiful new 21-acre campus in Gulfport. An enrollment boom after World War II spurred the relocation to the 17 buildings which had been part of the Hotel Rolyat built in 1925. Today, the student body exceeds 1,000 and Stetson Law has grown to become home of the nation's top-ranked advocacy program and LL.M. degree programs in advocacy, elder law and international law. The Tampa Law Center opened in 2004 as a major hub for legal activity -- housing evening law classes, the Tampa branch of the Florida Second District Court of Appeal, and legal conferences.

1900Stetson Law founded in DeLand

1922Stetson Law becomes three-year school

1926Hotel Rolyat opens

The Stetson University College of Law campus in Gulfport once housed a magnificent "Florida boom period" hotel known as the Rolyat. The hotel opened in January 1926 and was a re-creation of a Spanish walled settlement of the feudal ages. On opening night, the main fountain in the Plaza Mayor was filled with champagne.

1932Babe Ruth visits Hotel Rolyat

Babe Ruth signed his 1932 Yankees contract officially in the lounge and a second time for photographs in the Plaza Mayor at the Rolyat Hotel.

1932Florida Military Academy opens

In 1932, the Hotel Rolyat closed due to poor economic conditions. Instead of selling the land, the hotel's owners purchased a boys' school and moved it to Gulfport, where it was located until 1952.

1954Stetson Law relocated to Gulfport

1958Charles A. Dana Library opens

1968H. Jackson Crummer classroom building and Eleanor Naylor Dana Administrative Hall open

1970Stetson Law Review is first published

1976Harold L. Sebring Courtroom opens

1994Stetson wins all five National Trial Advocacy competitions, Carey & Florin Courtroom dedicated

1998LL.M. program begins, Law Library and Legal Information Center opens

Stetson Law hosted United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the keynote speaker for the dedication of the new law library on Saturday, Sept. 5, 1998. During the event, she discussed the history and evolution of law libraries in the United States, the changes in law education over the course of history, and the rise of women in the law profession.