In 1925, Miriam became the first female governor of Texas after campaigning as a stand-in for her husband, and James E. Ferguson became the first gentleman of Texas for her two terms. In 1917, James Ferguson was impeached and removed from office as governor of Texas while under indictment. Henry S. Johnston of Oklahoma The controversy grew out of the refusal of the board of regents to remove certain faculty members whom the governor found objectionable. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; What's on my ballot? He was elected governor in 1914, his first election. Double your gift when you give by 6 p.m. Thursday. we are currently accepting new members. James Edward Ferguson Jr. (August 31, 1871 September 21, 1944), known as Pa Ferguson, was an American Democratic politician and the 26th Governor of Texas, in office from 1915 to 1917. State and local courts | On December 31, 1899, he married Miriam A. Wallace; they had two children. It proved his undoing. Animals talk; all you have to do is listen. For Trey and Carol South, love of animals feeds their souls, and clients are assured their pets . [12], [13] In addition, Cigarroa wrote: "During testimony before the Select Committee, some early witnesses implied that the U.T. The conviction forbade Ferguson to hold "any office of honor, trust, or profit" in Texas. The Legislature is aghast at the meddling with the flagship state university. James Ferguson. Although he had never held office, he was not a stranger to political problems; he had done much work in keeping local-option prohibition from Bell County, had been one of the Bell County managers in the campaign of Robert L. Henry for Congress in 1902, had helped carry Bell County for Cone Johnson in his contest with Joseph Weldon Bailey in 1908, had served as a campaign manager for Robert V. Davidson in 1910, and had aided Oscar B. Colquitt in his successful gubernatorial campaign (1912). James "Pa" Ferguson was the Governor of Texas from 1915 to 1917, when he was impeached and convicted on several charges. The Freddy's Glass legacyPeople who knew our dad and his story say he would be proud of us, but we say, Man, were proud of himHe truly. Dictionaries thesauruses pictures and press releases. He had attempted to stack the board of regents with friends who would help fire these professors and staffers, and he had called for the resignation of the universitys president, Robert Vinson. Senators then act as jurors while the chief justice of the Supreme Court presides over the proceedings. In 1917, Gov. State executives | How to run for office | They then sent the charges to the State Senate for trial. Ma placed a distant fifth. James Edward Ferguson: James E. Ferguson Born Bell County, Texas August 31, 1871 Died Austin, Texas September 21, 1944 Governor of the State of Texas . Found in volume 15,291 (available at govinfo). Apply today! In 1913, William Sulzer was impeached and removed from office as governor of New York. Ferguson was reelected by a majority of about 60,000 votes, but opposition was sufficient to show that many Texans, including a number who were not prohibitionists, were displeased with his stewardship. The Senate removed Ferguson from office by a vote of 25-3. In 1924, his wife, Miriam Ma Ferguson won election as governor as a stand-in candidate in a tightly-contested race. He became a lawyer in 1897, married Miriam A. Wallace in 1899, and expanded into real estate, insurance, and banking. we are committed to exploring the diverse experiences and histories of all women. He served 15 months as governor. The Fergusons beat Robertson and went to the Governor's Mansion for a third time. He was popular for his folksy charm across. . The vote was 25-3. In 1906, he sold Farmers bank and established Temple State Bank. The Senate can call witnesses to testify and vote to convict with a two-thirds majority vote. An argument over spending tax dollars, an attempt to silence political opponents, and charges of a kangaroo court.. To be the Democratic nominee for governor was the same as being elected governor. Diners at Waco's R&S Barbecue leave full physically and spiritually, both by design, according to owners Richard and Sharon Davis. And here, Ferguson made his second blunder. As much as one might appreciate Fergusons homey aphorisms, a word hed likely have found objectionable because of its academic taint his style loses its charm when you learn all that was revealed at his impeachment. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Elementary school music teacher leaves $6M to Baylor, Former NFL star Chad Johnson says he saved money by living inside Cincinnati Bengals stadium for 2 years, Mike Copeland: Steak and Ale comeback; Paper plant progress; Bagby apartments; Gaines Booked Up, Lake on Waco Creek floated for park next to Floyd Casey development, Whizzbang's owner buys Health Camp with eye to preserving burger joint legacy, Waco Charter School to close after summer classes, Sheriff names man found dead of apparent gunshot in Golinda, La Vega, Fairfield girls know the way to San Antone, clinching state trips, Brothers continue dad's clear legacy at Freddy's Glass, Brice Cherry: Collen pushes all the right buttons in her best coaching performance yet, Olympic-winning pole vaulter, pastor Bob Richards dies at 97, The GOAT of tennis families lives in Groesbeck. In 1935, the Fergusons lost their ranch in Bell County because of financial troubles during the Great Depression. U.S. Congress | Ballotpedia's election legislation tracker, Political favoritism in admissions to the University of Texas, Forgivable loans program at the University of Texas Law School, House Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations (TSAO), Joint Committee on Oversight of Higher Ed Governance, Excellence & Transparency, University of Texas System Board of Regents, 1987 Memorandum within the Texas Legislative Council regarding removal of state officers by the state legislature, Analysis of Constitutional Impeachment Procedures in Texas, Texas House Bill 588, the "Top 10% Rule" (1997), https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Impeachments_in_Texas&oldid=8020920, Conflicts in school board elections, 2021-2022, Special Congressional elections (2023-2024), 2022 Congressional Competitiveness Report, State Executive Competitiveness Report, 2022, State Legislative Competitiveness Report, 2022, Partisanship in 2022 United States local elections. He left home at sixteen and wandered for two years through the states of the Far West, where he lived by accepting any employment offered. He convened the commission, and the body approved that Barker write a letter to the Governor-elect. 4. The United States Constitution provides that the President of the United States shall only be removed from office upon "Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. The prohibitionists held an elimination convention and pledged their support to Thomas H. Ball of Houston. The fight with the university touched off a massive scandal. General Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin, Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services. It appears that neither governor was brought to trial. The entire process is substantially the same in Texas for elected officials, as it is for most of the other states. James Ferguson died on September 21, 1944, and was buried in the State Cemetery in Austin. Eight governors have been removed from office through impeachment. This led to a special session being called by the Legislature, to press for Fergusons impeachment. The impeachment process begins with the House of Representatives. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Impeachment is the process by which the legislative branch has the authority to remove a sitting public official. She was reelected in 1932 and served January 17, 1933 January 15, 1935. In 1917, barely into his second term as governor of Texas, James E. Ferguson was impeached, convicted, and removed from office. Other high-profile librarians voiced their support of Winkler, as did the son of an ex-governor, and a chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Though no Texas official has been impeached and removed from office at the state level since Ferguson, Texas politics has hardly been scandal-free. In the United States legal tradition, impeachment is comparable to an indictment in a criminal court. In 1924, Ferguson entered his wife Miriam, known as "Ma", in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. The specifics are left to the state legislators to determine. And she won. Soon the talk of impeachment is echoing through the halls of the Capitol. Jim Ferguson got in trouble for throwing his weight around, and for using the publics money as a personal slush fund. She even used the word Christian in the law, implying that Christian forgiveness was appropriate here. Jim Pa Ferguson became the first person in Texas to be impeached. The entire process is substantially the same in Texas for elected officials, as it is for most of the other states. In 1930 he conducted the unsuccessful campaign of his wife for the governorship, and in 1932 he conducted her successful campaign for the same office. You have permission to edit this article. [5], In 2013, the Texas State Legislature began an impeachment trial for Regent Wallace Hall. The Senate can call witnesses to testify and vote to convict with a two-thirds majority vote. Title 6, Chapter 665 of the Texas Government Code addresses the impeachment and removal of public officers by the state house. A part of his appeal as a candidate for governor was his support for white supremacy in the political process. Ouida Ferguson Nalle, The Fergusons of Texas, or "Two Governors for the Price of One": A Biography of James Edward Ferguson and His Wife (San Antonio: Naylor, 1946). Gould, Lewis L. "The University Becomes Politicized: The War with Jim Ferguson." After he was appointed in 2011, Hall began looking into what he believed to be clout scandals within the University of Texas system. Advocates are pushing for legislation to help them. His father died when he was four. 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