Ma Ferguson: The First Female Governor of Texas by Bea Tifton

Miriam Amanda "Ma" Ferguson was the first woman governor of Texas.  She was born in Bell County in Texas June 13, 1875. She attended Salado College and the Baylor Female College at a time when few colleges in the South would allow women to be students.  Miriam married James Ferguson in 1899 on New Year's Eve.   James Ferguson was a lawyer and a banker in Belton, Texas. The devoted couple had two daughters. 

Miriam's husband served as governor of Texas  from 1915 to 1917.  He was investigated and impeached during his second term for misappropriation of funds and embezzlement and prohibited from holding any state office in Texas.  

In 1924, Miriam ran for governor as a puppet candidate for her husband, whom she openly said she would consult for advice. At campaign rallies, Miriam would make an introductory speech and her husband would then take the platform to speak. One of the campaign slogans was "Me for Ma, and I Ain't Got a Durned Thing Against Pa." Another popular slogan was "Getting Two Governors for the Price of One." She won the election and became the first female governor of Texas and the second female governor in the United States, along with  Wyoming's Nellie Ross.

Ma was defeated by Dan Moody, the man who had investigated her husband while Pa was in office, in the 1926 gubernatorial election.  Ma ran and won a second term in 1932.  The Texas Rangers had endorsed Ma's opponent in the 1932 election. Soon after she was elected Ma discharged all Texas Rangers, making Texas a safe hideout for Depression era gangsters such as Bonnie and Clyde and Pretty Boy Floyd.  New Texas Rangers were quickly appointed , but they were unqualified and ineffective toward stopping the rising crime rate. 

Ma's platform was opposing the Ku Klux Klan and Prohibition.  Her slogan during the 1924 Democratic Primary against Klan- backed Felix Robertson was, "Make a Choice: The Bonnet or the Hood." After she was elected, Ma passed the "Anti Mask" law, aimed directly at the Klan. She pardoned almost 4,000 people during her combined terms, many of whom were people who broke prohibition laws. Rumors abounded that the pardons were the result of payments made to Pa Ferguson. Investigations were made as the rumors persisted, but no one was ever able to prove the allegations.  As a result, voters passed an amendment in 1936 that pardons would be made not by the governor, but by the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. 

Ma ran for governor again in 1940 but was defeated. She retired from politics. Pa died as the result of a stroke in 1944. Ma died from congestive heart failure in 1961 at age 86. She is buried the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. 

Ma is credited with the unfortunate quote that "English was good enough for Jesus Christ and it's good enough for the children of Texas." Historians agree that the quote is apocryphal and that Ma did not say it. Despite the shadows of suspected corruption during her terms, Ma Ferguson paved the way for future women in politics and made a positive contribution to Texas.