Ferguson, James Edward, 1871-1944

Lawyer, banker, investor, and governor of Texas (1914-1917).

Lawyer, banker, investor, and governor of Texas (1914-1917). Collection concerning James E. Ferguson was assembled by Alex Dienst, Texana collector and Ferguson's friend, and primarily documents Ferguson's political career and the controversy over his activities as governor. Included is material relating to Governor Ferguson's impeachment in 1917 and to his wife, Miriam Ferguson (governor 1924-1926 and 1932-1934).

Governor James Edward Ferguson (1871-1941) was born near Salado, Bell County, Texas to James Edward and Fannie (Fitzpatrick) Ferguson. After traveling throughout the western United States in his youth, Ferguson studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1897, and began a law practice in Belton. In 1899, he married Miriam A. Wallace with whom he had two children. In addition to practicing law, Ferguson was associated with the Farmers State Bank of Belton, was a member of the Texas Bankers Association, and helped to establish the Temple State Bank. He also aided the political campaigns of Robert L. Henry (1902), Cone Johnson (1908), Robert V. Davidson (1910), and Oscar B. Colquitt (1912).

In 1914, Ferguson was nominated by the Democratic Party and elected Governor of Texas. Controversy arose when Ferguson vetoed appropriations to the University of Texas in 1916. As a result, movements to impeach Ferguson led to his conviction and removal from office. He sought reelection in 1918, but was defeated by William P. Hobby for the Democratic ticket. Two years later, Ferguson ran as the American Party candidate for President of the United States. He was also unsuccessful in running for the United States Senate in 1922. Later, he became the First Gentleman of Texas when his wife Miriam served as the first female governor from 1925 to 1927, and 1933 to 1935.

Source:

Steen, Ralph W. “Ferguson, James Edward.” Handbook of Texas Online . Accessed September 21, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe05.

Governor James Edward Ferguson (1871-1941) was born near Salado, Bell County, Texas to James Edward and Fannie (Fitzpatrick) Ferguson. After traveling throughout the western United States in his youth, Ferguson studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1897, and began a law practice in Belton. In 1899, he married Miriam A. Wallace with whom he had two children. In addition to practicing law, Ferguson was associated with the Farmers State Bank of Belton, was a member of the Texas Bankers Association, and helped to establish the Temple State Bank. He also aided the political campaigns of Robert L. Henry (1902), Cone Johnson (1908), Robert V. Davidson (1910), and Oscar B. Colquitt (1912).

In 1914, Ferguson was nominated by the Democratic Party and elected Governor of Texas. Controversy arose when Ferguson vetoed appropriations to the University of Texas in 1916. As a result, movements to impeach Ferguson led to his conviction and removal from office. He sought reelection in 1918, but was defeated by William P. Hobby for the Democratic ticket. Two years later, Ferguson ran as the American Party candidate for President of the United States. He was also unsuccessful in running for the United States Senate in 1922. Later, he became the First Gentleman of Texas when his wife Miriam served as the first female governor from 1925 to 1927, and 1933 to 1935.

Source:

Steen, Ralph W. “Ferguson, James Edward.” Handbook of Texas Online . Accessed September 21, 2011. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ffe05.

James Edward and Miriam Amanda Wallace Ferguson, "Ma" and "Pa" Ferguson to a generation of voters, dominated Texas state politics in the early 1900s. Both served as Texas governors during a time of expanding public education, voter intimidation, prohibition, and depression.

James Ferguson, born in 1871 in Bell County, Texas, received only rudimentary schooling, spending most of his time working the fields of his family's farm. At age sixteen he left home and took any employment offered. By the time he came home and married Miriam Amanda Wallace in 1899, he had worked at farming, building railroad bridges, and law. Though he set up his own law practice in Belton, Texas, James continued pursuing other work, including banking, real estate, insurance, and politics.

Miriam Amanda Wallace Ferguson was born in 1875, also in Bell County, Texas. Unlike her eventual husband James Ferguson, she received quite a bit of schooling, graduating from Salado College and Baylor Female College in Belton. Marrying James in 1899, she helped raise their two daughters while he entered state politics.

After working up through several different Democratic gubernatorial campaigns in 1902, 1908, 1910, and 1912, James Ferguson ran as an anti-prohibitionist and a friend to tenant farmers, and won the Texas governor's seat in 1915. Despite passing several laws of notable importance, a disagreement about Ferguson's wishes to remove several professors at the University of Texas resulted in an investigation of his work as governor. When several questionable business dealings were turned up, the Senate impeached him and barred him from ever holding political office again. Though James resigned the governorship the day before the impeachment results were announced, the Senate's decree against holding political office stood. James Ferguson never held political office again, though he ran for governor again in 1918, president of the United States in 1920, and a senate seat in 1922.

However, the Ferguson's solution to James not holding office again was that Miriam would become the family politician. Miriam, known as "Ma" due to a campaign slogan, entered the race for Texas governor in 1924. She opposed the Ku Klux Klan, prohibition, and sought to clear the Ferguson name. Miriam won the governor's seat, becoming the first female Texas governor and the second woman governor in United States history. Speeches from her campaign are preserved within this collection. Her administration was marked by strife, due to a broken campaign promise to reduce state spending and her habit of granting unusually large numbers of pardons. She finished her first term in 1926, did not run in 1928, lost in 1930, and won a second term in 1932. Her administration in 1932-1934 did not attract controversy, even though she continued her pardoning ways and even proposed a state sales tax, which was not adopted. At the conclusion of her term in 1934, she would never again hold public office, despite running for governor in 1940. Several scrapbooks in this collection document Miriam's terms as governor.

The Fergusons continued to wield political influence across the state even when not campaigning for or holding office. Correspondence from this collection indicates a working relationship with United States presidents Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. After a generation of Texas politics where people were either for or against the Fergusons, James Ferguson died on 21 September 1944. Miriam continued on, enjoying private life with none of the publicity that came with her many political campaigns. Her eightieth birthday in 1955 was cause for a big celebration. A program from that birthday celebration can be found in this collection. Miriam, the first female governor of Texas, died on 25 June 1961.