dissenting.
I cannot agree with the majority opinion in its holding that Norman Hamilton, by signing the partition contract and warranty deed, putting into effect the terms of the contract, did not transfer, relinquish, or release to W. B. Hamilton the claim to a constructive trust now urged by Norman and sustained by the Court of Civil Appeals.
*523The respondent in his reply to the petitioner’s application for writ of error and filed in this Court, states the nature of the suit as follows:
“This is a suit brought by Norman Hamilton as Plaintiff against Cleo Mason Hamilton as Defendant, individually and as independent executrix of the purported will of William B. Hamilton filed by her for probate. The suit was based upon a contract alleged to have been made by the said William B. Hamilton and his first wife, Mary Lou Mitchell Hamilton, by which they each agreed to will and bequeath to their son, Norman Hamilton, their respective estates and property as existing at the time of their respective deaths. It was alleged that they both made such wills in accordance with their agreement and that Mary Lou Mitchell Hamilton died leaving such a will in effect. As third party beneficiary of the said contract Norman Hamilton sought to have the Court declare that the contract was valid and binding and that he was entitled to the property of the said William B. Hamilton, deceased, thereunder and that a constructive trust be declared to exist in his favor upon any of the property which was in or should come into the possession of Cleo Mason Hamilton, individually or as independent executrix.”
Respondent does not base his suit upon any right to inherit from his father, W. B. Hamilton. Indeed, he could not make such assertion ( presuming the validity of his father’s last will), for it requires no citation of authority to sustain the proposition that W. B. Hamilton effectively cut off Norman’s inheritance rights in property for which recovery is sought herein, by his execution of his will.
What was the character of Norman’s rights under the alleged contract between his father and mother to make mutual wills? Norman claims his right was only to take such of W. B. Hamilton’s property as W. B. Hamilton had not conveyed to others at the time of W. B. Hamilton’s death. Norman states in his brief that W. B. Hamilton could sell, mortgage or otherwise dispose of his property during W.B.’s lifetime, but that he could not transfer and convey such property by his will contrary to the contract and agreement made between W.B. and Mary Lou Mitchell Hamilton on February 3, 1938. I agree this would be a correct statement of Norman’s rights arising under a contract such as this one, but I believe that Norman parted with his rights under such contract when he signed the partition contract and deed.
*524Prior to the death of Mary Lou Hamilton, the mother of Norman, either party, by giving notice to the other, could have withdrawn from said contract and no one could have complained. 169 A.L.R. 39, Sec. 11, Recision o-f contract; Id. 50, Sec. 4, Revocation of will during joint lives; element of notice, and authorities cited. Larrabee v. Porter, 1914, Texas Civ. App., 166 S.W. 395, 400, refused. Upon the death of Mary Lou Hamilton, without having revoked the will she executed in pursuance of the contract with W. B. Hamilton, and without having filed a suit for divorce, and upon the establishment of her will by probate thereof, the contract between Mary Lou and W. B. Hamilton became irrevocable, and Norman came into possession of the right in equity to have the contract enforced as to W. B. Hamilton. Murphy v. Slaton, 154 Texas 35, 273 S.W. 2d 588 (1), and authorities cited therein.
“The breach of a contract for the joint execution of a will, or the execution of separate wills, containing reciprocal bequests, gives rise to the same remedies in favor of the injured party as are employed in other cases of breach of contract to make a will, namely an action at law for damages and a suit in equity, but it is to be observed that the latter is the type of relief usually invoked. In fact, according to some authority, only a court of equity can take cognizance of an allegation that the revocation of a joint and mutual will by the surviving testator was in violation of his contract with the deceased testator.” 169 A.L.R. 53, d. 1 (a). See also authorities cited in notes.
In Wagnon v. Wagnon, 1929, Texas Civ. App., 16 S.W. 2d 366, refused, the question involved whether or not the separate wills of R. M. Wagnon and his first wife were mutual or joint wills. The wills contained identical provisions whereby each left to the other a life estate with remainder over to their children. The Court of Civil Appeals reversed the trial court’s judgment and remanded the cause in order to further develop the evidence regarding the character of the two wills. The Court further held that if the wills were mutual, when R. M. Wagnon probated his wife’s will and accepted the benefits, the contract became irrevocable, and the rights of the children in the sum total of the comunity property then in existence became fixed and indefeasible, subject to R. M. Wagnon’s rights “ ‘to use, possess and control as his own individual property’,” but not to sell as these wills gave the survivor no power to sell. It was further held that even as to his one-half interest in the community property, R. M. Wagnon would be vested with only a life estate. The same reasoning would apply in our case even though the con*525sideration present here was that Mary Lou Hamilton not get a divorce, and that she leave her property to Norman and to no one else. Norman’s right to have his father leave his property to him became fixed at his mother’s death and the establishment of the will by probate. This date was sometime in 1944, and long prior to the partition agreement and the warranty deed carrying out such agreement dated March 1, 1951.
Respondent, in his briefs, takes the position that he had no rights in the property of W. B. Hamilton until the death of W. B. Hamilton, and at that time his right to take all property owned by W. B. Hamilton came into being. Respondent says that W. B. Hamilton had the full and complete title to his property during his lifetime with the right to sell and dispose of this property thus cutting off any right of Norman to claim the same. There was nothing that happened at the death of W. B. Hamilton to give Norman any claim to the property. The right to claim the property that W. B. Hamilton possessed at the time of his death arose only and solely by virtue of the contract to make mutual wills entered into on February 3, 1938 by and between Norman’s father and mother. That contract had for its consideration and forebearance of Mrs. Mary Lou Hamilton from procuring a divorce, plus the mutual agreement to leave their respective estates to their son, Norman Hamilton. When Mrs. Mary Lou Hamilton died, having carried out her part of the contract, it then became irrevocable and binding on W. B. Hamilton. Norman’s pleadings and argument in his briefs show the only right he claims is based upon such contract. The rights under this contract became fixed long prior to W. B. Hamilton’s death. Unless Norman can recover under such contract, he cannot recover at all.
What was the nature of that right? It sems to me that his rights under this contract are analogous to the rights of the demaindermen in the case of McMurray v. Stanley, 69 Texas 227, 6 S.W. 412. In that case the court was asked to construe the will of Mrs. F. A. Bagley. The two paragraphs in the will, construction of which was sought, read as follows:
“ ‘Third. It is my will and desire that my beloved husband shall have all my property, both real, personal, and mixed, whatever the interest may be, whether separate or community interest; and that he shall have full power and control over same, to use and dispose of as he may desire. Fourth. It is my will and desire that at his death, should he have any of said property still remaining in his possession not disposed of or *526used by him, that the same shall be given by him to my nieces, Jessie McMurray and Flora Brown, daughters of Vina and Taylor Brown’.”
Plaintiffs were Mrs. Bagley’s nieces who were named in the will, and the defendants were claimants under the last will of N. G. Bagley, deceased, who was Mrs. Bagley’s husband. Defendants’ demurrer was sustained, and plaintiffs having declined to amend, their suit was dismissed. The Supreme Court, in an opinion by Judge Stayton, reversed and remanded the cause for trial. Among other things the Court held: “We are of the opinion that N. G. Bagley took under the will an estate in fee in the entire property, but that this was in trust for the beneficiaries named in the fourth paragraph of the will, except as their right was limited by the right given to him to use and dispose of the property during his life-time which was given by the express terms of the will.” The Court also held: “ We know of no inflexible rule of law forbidding Mrs. Bagley to so dispose of her property by will as to vest the entire legal estate in her husband, with power to him to use or dispose of any or all of it during his life-time, even for his own benefit, and at the same time to vest an equitable estate in what might remain at his death in her nieces, and to confer upon her husband the power, and to make it his duty by will or otherwise, to vest the legal estate in such remaining property at his death in them. The following are cases in which the first taker was given the right to use and absolutely dispose of the property in which a legal or equitable estate was given in so much as might remain at the death of the first taker, to another person.” (Citing authorities). (Emphasis added)
Judge Stayton then proceeds to state that had the will of Mrs. Bagley expressly provided that the part of the estate remaining at the time of her husband’s death should go to the persons named, then a legal estate would have vested in them. However, he says since Mrs. Bagley did declare that her husband, at his death, should give any of the property remaining in his possession to her nieces, it must be held that the will created a trust in favor of these nieces and that it conferred a power on N. G. Bagley, under which he ought to have done some act which would have vested in them the legal estate in fee to so much of the property as remained in his possession at the time of his death. The court goes on to state that since N. G. Bagley failed to vest the property remaining at time of his death in his wife’s nieces, they can come into a court of equity *527and have the trust enforced. Caples v. Ward, 107 Texas 341, 179 S.W. 856.
It sems to me the above language and reasoning fits our case perfectly. There can be no question but that the effect of the contract between Mrs. Mary Lou Mitchell Hamilton and W. B. Hamilton is exactly what the court in McMurray v. Stanley held was the legal effect of Mrs. Bagley’s will. The court held the trust arose at death of Mrs. Bagley. It held that the nieces were vested with an equitable title, and that the trust property could be definitely ascertained by looking to what property N. G. Bagley possessed at the time of his death. This holding establishes that Norman from the time of his mother’s death had an equitable title in the land which might be owned by W. B. Hamilton at the time of his death. Norman could convey this equitable title. Surely this was some “claims, rights, and demands” which Norman Hamilton had on his father, W. B. Hamilton, and on the Dallas County land at the time of the partition contract, and the waranty deed which Norman gave his father to the Dallas County tract of land.
At the death of Mrs. Mary Lou Hamilton, W. B. Hamilton’s ownership of his interest in their community property changed so as to become an ownership such as the cases declare to be a conditional fee, or, as it is sometimes called, a defeasible fee, the condition of defeasance being that in the event W. B. Hamilton should dies seized and possessed of any of the property, then such property should pass to and vest in Norman Hamilton. Such was the nature of the contract pleaded and proved by respondent, and upon which he secures favorable jury findings. McMurray v. Stanley, supra; Federal Land Bank of Houston v. Little, 130 Texas 173, 107 S.W. 2d 374; Darragh v. Barmore, Com. App., 242 S.W. 714; West v. Glisson, 1916, Texas Civ. App., 184 S.W. 1042, refused.
The following language from Harrell v. Hickman, 147 Texas 396, 215 S.W. 2d 876, is particularly apropos to our cause.
“No provision in the will or contract places any limitation whatever upon the right of T. M. Harrell during his lifetime to dispose of the estate in any manner he might see fit. The will evidences that each of the testators reserved in himself or herself, should he or she become the survivor, the absolute right to dispose of the estate as such survivor might desire, with the single exception that the survivor could not make a disposition thereof by will contrary to that made in their joint will. It was *528clearly the intention of the testators that only the property remaining on hand at the death of the survivor should vest in the named beneficiaries or remaindermen, including respondent. That such beneficiaries should have no rights to or interest in any of the estate, except such portion thereof as remained undisposed of by the survivor at the time of his death, is made free of doubt by the provision in the fourth paragraph that only after the death of both testators, and not before, the remainder of the property of which the survivor should die seized and possessed shall pass to them.”
If we substitute the name “W. B. Hamilton” for the name “T. M. Harrell” and use the name “Norman Hamilton” wherever the words “beneficiaries or remaindermen” occur, we will have our case at bar. Many other cases could be cited declaring the same legal principles as those above. The reasoning in all of the above cases determines the nature and extent of the estate which Norman Hamilton took in W. B. Hamilton’s property upon the death of Mary Lou Hamilton.
At the time of the execution of the partition agreement in 1951, there is no allegation of any overreaching misrepresentation, or concealment or any inequitable conduct on the part of W. B. Hamilton as to any fact connected with the partition. In fact, the record rather shows that there had developed an estrangement between Norman Hamilton and his father. There was a dealing at arm’s length between the parties. Both were good lawyers of long experience, and well versed in the law. The circumstances surrounding the partition demonstrate conclusively that each wanted to have his affairs completely distinct and separate from any claim or interference of the other. Even though the contract and deed were executed to carry into effect this partition and segregation of their affairs, such instruments are “nevertheless binding contracts and are subject to the usual rules of construction to determine their scope and application.” Garza v. De Montalvo, 147 Texas 525, 217 S.W. 2d 988, and authorities therein cited.
Keeping in mind the nature and extent of Norman Hamilton’s interest or claim on W. B. Hamilton’s estate at the time of the partition agreement and deed, let us examine these two instruments to determine the intention of the parties at the time of their execution.
“(3) That William B. Hamilton is to have and take all of the lands aggregating approximately 746 acres situated in Dallas *529County, Texas, together with all improvements thereon, free and clear of all claims, rights and demands upon the pmt of the said Norman Hamilton.” (Emphasis added.)
Paragraph “ (4) ” sets out the property which Norman Hamilton is to “have and take * * * free and clear of all claims, rights and demands * * * of said William B. Hamilton.” Paragraph “(5” provided that the respective parties “shall make, execute and deliver” unto the opposite party (naming him) good and sufficient warranty deed conveying to such opposite party all of the interest of the party grantor. The contract and the deed were dated March 1, 1951, and the acknowledgments were taken on March 2, 1951. The instruments being part of the same transaction and executed simultaneously are to be considered and construed together.
The language of the contract is clear and unambiguous and can have but one meaning and that meaning is that each of the parties was conveying and relinquishing to the other the lands described “free and clear of all claims, rights, and demands” by the opposite party. The evidence leaves no doubt that at the time these instruments were executed Norman Hamilton knew of the contract and agreement between his parents to make mutual wills and of the considerations for said contract; that he knew his mother had died some seven years previously leaving a will which had been duly probated and devising to him her interest in the community property of herself and W. B. Hamilton; that he knew of his claimed “rights, titles and demands” upon the property his father might own at the time of W. B. Hamilton’s death; that the instruments which he executed were made for the express purpose of setting aside to each— himself and his father — certain property which they had theretofore jointly owned so that each would hold said property in his own right “free and clear of all claims, rights and demands” upon the part of the other. How can it be claimed that Norman could sign these instruments to accomplish such purpose, and at the same time reserve unto himself the right to take and have any interest in the Dallas County property upon his father’s death save the right of inheritance, which right was effectively cut off by his father’s will leaving the Dallas County property to Cleo Mason Hamilton? I cannot agree, under the facts and circumstances of this case and the principles of law applicable thereto, that Norman Hamilton reserved in his contract and deed any such “right, claim or demand.” He made no reservation in the instrument signed by him, and I cannot agree that the courts can or should make such reservation for him.
*530Respondent, in addition to the contentions we have discussed above, seeks to avoid the effect of the plain language of his contract and deed — which language was at least satisfactory to him in 1951 — by the fact that such instruments were part of a partition agreement between himself and his father.
It is true that partition deeds are put in a special class by the decisions of our courts, and are immune from some of the strict requirements of real estate conveyances, but as it is well stated in Garza v. De Montalvo, supra, “We know of no rule of construction which would permit the unambiguous meaning of the language of the agreement to be departed from because later developments prove the agreement to be more advantageous to some of the parties than to others.”
This Court has defined a partition as “the act or proceeding through which two or more co-owners cause the things to be partitioned to be divided into as many shares as there are owners, and which vests in each of such persons a specific part, with the right to possess it freed from a like right in other persons who, before partition, had an equal right to possess.” Hudgins v. Sansom, 72 Texas 229, 10 S.W. 104. We have held that although a partition between joint owners does not confer title upon either, it does locate the right of title of each owner in his own respective tract awarded to him, and it extinguishes the rights of all of the other joint owners in the tract awarded to the particular joint owner. Chace v. Gregg, 88 Texas 552, 32 S.W. 520.
Respondent places much stress upon the claim that the voluntary partition could have no greater right than a forced partition by court proceedings. It is true that either W. B. Hamilton or Norman Hamilton could have gone into court and have forced a partition of their property owned in common by them, but what respondent overlooks is that in such case the court partition would not depend for its effect upon a contract and agreement between the parties — as is the case with our voluntary partition in this cause. The rights of the parties are here determined by the agreement solemnly executed by both parties, and such agreement sets forth the rights of each party after the voluntary partition was had. The parties are bound by their agreement, and not by what a court proceeding without an agreement and under compulsion might have brought forth.
The cases of Clark v. Gauntt, 138 Texas 558, 161 S.W. 2d 270, and McConnell v. Corgey, 153 Texas 49, 262 S.W. 2d 944, *531are cited by the Court of Civil Appeals as sustaining the position that Norman’s right to receive what property his father possessed at his death, was not released and relinquished by the partition agreement and deed. Those cases are not in point in this cause for in each of those cases it was held that the right of inheritance from a person dying intestate did not pass by virtue of the instruments set out in each case. That proposition of law is no longer open to question in this state. In our case Norman has no right of inheritance from his father, as that right was effectively and legally cut off by the will which his father left. In the above cases, the party from whom the right to inherit was sustained had died intestate. In these cases no trust was impressed upon the property, while in our case there was such a trust impressed upon W. B. Hamilton’s property, as I have shown above. The respondent makes no claim to a right of inheritance in the present suit, but bases his claim upon the contract between his father and his mother, made for his benefit on February 3, 1938. Of course, if he should be successful in his suit to set aside his father’s will, he will take by the laws of descent and distribution. Those features distinguish our case from the two cases next above cited.
Believing that in 1951, when he executed the partition agreement and deed, Norman Hamilton had and possessed rights, claims and demands which were fixed in W. B. Hamilton’s property as of the death of Mary Lou Hamilton in 1944; and believing further that Norman released, relinquished and conveyed these rights to W. B. Hamilton by the partition agreement and deed, I would reverse the judgment of the Court of Civil Appeals and affirm the judgment of the trial court.
Opinion delivered March 9, 1955.
Rehearing overruled July 13, 1955.