grandfather clause

noun

1. U.S. History. a clause in the constitutions of some Southern states after 1890 intended to permit white people to vote while disfranchising Black people: it exempted from new literacy and property qualifications for voting those men entitled to vote before 1867 and their lineal descendants.
2. any legal provision that exempts a business, class of persons, etc., from a new government regulation that would affect prior rights and privileges.

grandfather clause

noun

1. history a clause in the constitutions of several Southern states that waived electoral literacy requirements for lineal descendants of people voting before 1867, thus ensuring the franchise for illiterate White people: declared unconstitutional in 1915
2. a clause in legislation that forbids or regulates an activity so that those engaged in it are exempted from the ban

Word History and Origins

Origin of grandfather clause¹

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

The measure contained no grandfather clause for minors who were already undergoing treatment.

From Washington Blade

This enactment, known as the "grandfather clause," went far toward the elimination of the negro.

From Project Gutenberg

This restriction has been explained as coming down from "the grandfather clause" inserted in early legislation.

From Project Gutenberg

I've been ten years out of college, and when I go back they'll pull the grandfather clause on me and wheel me in early nights.

From Project Gutenberg

But the writer does not believe in the principle nor in the necessity for a "grandfather clause."

From Project Gutenberg

In 1898 Louisiana passed an amendment inventing the so-called "grandfather clause."

From Project Gutenberg