Miriam Ferguson Essay

James Ferguson became the governor of Texas in 1914, was re-elected two years later, but was later impeached for the misapplication of publics funds and deemed unfit to hold a public office in Texas. His wife, Miriam, like a phoenix, rose from his ashes to make history. The daughter of Joseph L. And Eliza Wallace, Miriam Amanda Wallace was born on June 13, 1875 in Bell County, Texas. Educated at Salado College and later Baylor Female College in the 1990's, Miriam never had much interest in politics. She married James Ferguson in 1899. In the first years of their marriage, Miriam did like most of the women of the day, raising their two daughters, and giving great support to her husbands's legal, banking, and real estate careers. Her support never waned or failed even when her husband was …show more content…
Butte in November of 1924, becoming the first female governor of Texas and the second female governor in the United States. Miriam is known for the enactment of prohibiting the Klu Klux Klan from wearing their masks in public, which was later overturned by the courts. Many convicts were pardoned under Ma's authority of governor, which led to the accusation of both her and husband of accepting bribes of both land and cash values. This along with other controversies lost Ma her reelection. After sitting out of the 1928 election, she regained her office in the 1932 election year and continued her liberal pardoning that had caused so much controversy in her first time as governor but now helped the economy in Texas during the Great Depression. She didn't rerun until 1940, but was beaten out of the primary and never reran again. She practically dropped from public eye after her husband's death in 1944. Upon her death on June 25, 1961, she was buried next to her husband in the Texas State