Neal, Margie Elizabeth, 1875-1971

Margie Elizabeth Neal (1875-1971) was the first woman state senator in Texas. Born near Clayton, Texas, Neal attended Sam Houston State Teachers College, but left before graduating to teach school in Fort Worth. After teaching a short time, she returned to Carthage, Texas, in 1903 to care for her ill mother. In 1903, her father, William Lafayette Neal, purchased the weekly newspaper, the Texas Mule, for her. She edited and published the paper under the name East Texas Register before selling it to J. M. Carnes in 1911. A noted suffragist, Neal was a district chairman in the fight for women’s suffrage and the first woman to register to vote in Panola County. Furthermore, she was the first woman member of the State Democratic Executive Committee and attended the 1920 National Democratic Convention in San Francisco as a delegate. From 1921 to 1927, she served on the board of regents for the State Teachers Colleges.

Panola County elected Neal to the Texas Senate in 1926, and she served four consecutive terms before retiring in 1935. During her time as a senator, she focused on educational issues, helping to establish the State Board of Education, introducing public school physical education classes, and securing a large appropriation for rural education. Additionally, she sponsored legislation providing for rehabilitation for the handicapped.

...