Miriam 'Ma' Ferguson (1875-1961)
Miriam Ferguson served two terms as governor of Texas. She was inaugurated in 1925, 15 days after Wyoming governor Nellie Tayloe Ross, making her the second female governor in the United States. She married James Edward "Jim" Ferguson in 1899. He was elected two terms as governor of Texas but was impeached in 1917 for financial corruption. The Impeachment Court removed him from office and declared him ineligible to hold any office of honor in Texas. He resigned the day before the Court announced its decision. In an effort to clear his name, and because he could not run under his own name, he ran his wife's campaign for governor in 1924, Miriam Amanda ('Ma') competed for and won the election in 1924 and again in 1932. A moderate Progressive, she sought to improve education and transportation systems. During her second and more successful term (1933-5) she supported New Deal legislation, a sales tax to benefit schools, and a corporate income tax.
Additional Information Can Be Found At...
Handbook of Texas Online: FERGUSON, MIRIAM AMANDA WALLACE [MA]
GG - Gemale Governors in the United States
Fact of the Week for January 3, 2000
Texas Almanac - Texas History Timeline