The Town and Gown Club was formed in the fall of 1902 by a group of Austin men who wished to establish a club composed of citizens of Austin (Town members) and faculty from the University of Texas (Gown members). At their first meeting on November 18, 1902, they determined that the purpose of the club should be to provide social and intellectual entertainment for the members. The seventeen Town founding members included seven lawyers, the mayor of Austin, the Superintendent of the State Insane Asylum, and the Supreme Court Reporter. The ten Gown founding members included professors of the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities and the Director of the University Mineral Survey. They elected Alexander Penn Wooldridge as their president and William James Battle as their secretary-treasurer.

The Town and Gown Club met biweekly during the academic year. Two members were chosen on a rotating basis to serve as hosts, selecting the topic of discussion and presiding over the meeting. Meetings began with dinner and social conversation, followed by the presentation and discussion of the topic. This format remained unchanged throughout the history of the club. Topics from 1902-1903 included Texas Mineral and Mining Law and The Science and Art of Education. More recent topics from 2000-2001 include Harry Potter as a Cultural Phenomenon and Impressions of Zimbabwe and South Africa. The Town and Gown Club first met at Jacoby's Garden, a restaurant known for its beer and wine selection. They moved to the Driskill Hotel sometime between 1906 and 1910 and remained there until a remodeling project pushed them out in 1969. The Cambridge Tower Restaurant became their new meeting location; the restaurant did not have a liquor license but allowed the club to operate its own bar. The club continued to bounce from place to place. Following three years at the Cambridge Tower Restaurant, they spent one year at Villa Capri and then four years at the Commodore Perry Building. In 1977, they moved to Headliner's Club and have remained there to the present day. The club also held an annual picnic open to female guests. This social gathering typically marked the end of the club's year.

Membership in the Town and Gown Club was by invitation only. When a space opened up due to a member resigning or being placed on inactive status, each member was requested to nominate two men. The Membership Committee would choose from these nominees to fill the spot. The club aimed to keep membership limited so that all could fully participate. Membership was exclusive; the ranks of the club included such prominent Austin figures as U.S. Senator Ralph Yarborough, U. T. Chancellor Harry Hunt Ransom, and folklorist J. Frank Dobie. The Membership Committee sought to invite men who could provide intellectual stimulation and diversity of opinion. Most members remained in the club for long periods of time, often until old age and ill health prevented them from attending.

While the meeting format and purpose of the Town and Gown Club remained stable for a century, its policies regarding membership and conduct underwent controversial changes. The members’ enjoyment of alcoholic beverages at the meeting dinners ended with Prohibition, and, despite occasional protests, alcohol was not available at meetings again until 1961. A more divisive issue for the members was whether women should be admitted. Prior to 1990, female guests were not allowed at meetings other than the annual picnic. In 1984, two women were nominated for membership, prompting a series of mail ballots on the subject. The failure of the resolution to admit women to the club led two members to resign. The vote was repeated in the spring of 1990, this time passing. In 1992, women joined the club for the first time in its 90th year. Smoking became a source of contention in the 1990s. Following the resignation of two members with respiratory problems, the club requested the few remaining smokers to sit in the back of the room. In 1997, the club voted to prohibit smoking entirely during meetings, this resulting in more resignations, this time by two smokers.

Privacy was a major concern for the members of the Town and Gown Club. The club shunned any publicity regarding its activities and even its very existence. The goal was to allow the members to express themselves freely without fear of repercussions outside of the club. An article appeared in The Daily Texan in 1990, which accused the club of using U. T. resources for private business because then Secretary-Treasurer Gene Wissler directed members to send correspondence to his office on campus. The article was particularly critical of the club because it was all-male, though this was soon to change. Despite the concerns of the club members, no repercussions followed, and the club has continued to avoid public notice since 1990.

Officers of the club were elected by members at their last spring meeting prior to the annual picnic. The president, vice-president, and secretary-treasurer sat on all committees of the club, playing a major role in setting the tone of the club's activities. The secretary-treasurer served as the main contact for members for administrative purposes, maintained all records, and managed the finances. In 2000, the positions of secretary and treasurer were split. The combined tenure of presidents Alfred Ernest Wilkinson, William James Battle, and Malcolm Macdonald accounts for seventy-six years of the club’s first century. Wilkinson, president from 1905-1932, was a Texas Supreme Court Reporter. Battle was a Greek professor who briefly served as Acting President of U.T. In addition to serving as president from 1932-1955, he was the original secretary-treasurer and was vice-president from 1924-1932. He served as an early historian of the club, writing papers for the 40th and 50th anniversaries. Macdonald, president from 1965-1990, was a government professor. Prior to his presidency, he was the secretary-treasurer for four years and the vice-president for two years. Other long-term officers of the club include English professor L. L. Click, secretary-treasurer from 1935-1959; lawyer James H. Hart, vice-president from 1932-1955 and president from 1955-1960; research scientist Chester McKinney, secretary-treasurer from 1969-1980 and president 1996-1998; and engineering professor Gene Wissler, secretary-treasurer from 1980-1981 and president from 1993-1996.

Presidents of the Town and Gown Club:

Secretary-Treasurers of the Town and Gown Club: