He was kicked out of a local prep school, Salado College, at age 12 for misbehavior. 4. Impeached: The Removal of Texas Governor James E. Ferguson (Texas A&M University Press, 2017) Hardcover. The prohibitionists held an elimination convention and pledged their support to Thomas H. Ball of Houston. Sam Houston Encyclopedia.com. But it is Hall not his political patron, Perry who would be targeted for possible impeachment. He ended up back in the Governors Mansion for a third time when she became the first woman governor in Texas history. As a result of his actions, in 1917, Ferguson became the only Texas governor impeached and removed from office. In 1917, barely into his second term as governor of Texas, James E. Ferguson was impeached, convicted, and removed from office. The report concluded that Hall had a legitimate reason for having the documents in question. 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. In 1917, Gov. "Ferguson Impeachment In 1918 he sought the Democratic party nomination for the governorship but was defeated by William P. Hobby. In 1920 he was an unsuccessful candidate for President on his own American party ticket. Ferguson was removed from office and deemed ineligible to hold any position of honor, trust, or profit under the laws of Texas by the Court of Impeachment by a vote of twenty-five to three. As a result it was impossible for the convention to eliminate him and obviously unwise to divide the vote by naming a rival candidate. To impeach, the House simply needs a majority vote on the different charges involved. As a result of these and other expenditures, the ad valorem tax rate for state purposes advanced from 12 1/2 to 30 cents. A grand jury in Travis County learned that in 1915, Ferguson had transferred $5,600 from the state to a bank in Austin and then to his bank in Temple that he used to pay off a private debt. ii) During the period between World Wars I and II, James and Miriam Ferguson were the most powerful couple in Texas. In the wake of the controversy, issues from Fergusons past campaign for governor in 1916 came back into the spotlight. 2003, The Texas State Historical Association. A part of his appeal as a candidate for governor was his support for white supremacy in the political process. Ferguson, had a stormy two-term reign and was impeached in 1917 over charges of misappropriation of funds regarding the University of Texas as well as embezzlement. Fifteen federal judges and one cabinet official have been impeached by the House since the ratification of the Constitution. This independence made him critical of existing policies, earning him sufficient popular support to win office, but also the consequent wrath of the establishment that could have protected him from investigation. Before the process could be completed, Ferguson resigned from office, contending that the legislative action against him was a kangaroo court. Ferguson convinced his wife to run one more time in 1940. Aside from the act instituting the highway department, the second Ferguson administration was marked by little in the way of important legislation. W. V. Howerton, ed., Facts on Ferguson: A Review of the Impeachment and a Reply to Charges Made by Ex-Governor Ferguson (Austin, 1918). He liked to say he was no city slicker and no college dude. A government doesnt require educated fools to run properly. Ballot measures, Who represents me? In July 1917, he was indicted for misappropriation of funds. . Ballotpedia features 395,442 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. Similarly, the Texas constitution gives the lower house of the legislature power to impeach judges, the governor, and statewide elected officials. Proclamation signed by a majority of the members of the House. 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). The charges were then sent to the state Senate for trial. Mrs. Ferguson served as the first lady of Texas during the gubernatorial terms of her husband (1915-17), who was impeached during his second administration. The Constitution gives Congress the power of impeachment in federal cases. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. The Board of Regents hired the firm to review whether Hall may have violated any federal privacy laws in his handling of student information. House Speaker Franklin Fuller called a special session to consider charges of impeachment against the governor. "[19] Texas state legislators have never previously tried to remove an appointed official. The movement to impeach and remove James Ferguson as governor ultimately ended with Ferguson _____. Barred from state office, he ran for president in 1920 on the American Party ticket. Of course, her husband was the only one the amnesty applied to. When his reasoning was questioned, he would respond, I am governor of Texas. 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 . The Senate, sitting as a High Court of Impeachment, spent three weeks considering the charges and finally convicted the governor on ten . Its president is in the crosshairs. Despite his resignation, the State Senate voted 25-3 to convict, which meant that Ferguson could not seek another public office in Texas. The Senate found Ferguson guilty on five charges relating to mishandling of public funds and abuse of power in relation to the university. The following sections are outlined in Article 15 of the Texas Constitution. When Ferguson found that he could not have his way, he vetoed practically the entire appropriation for the university. Winds light and variable. He was indicted and impeached during his second term, forced to resign and barred from holding further Texas office.[1][2][3][4]. Eight federal judges have been convicted in the Senate and removed from office. The 1920 presidential election was won by Republican candidate Warren Harding. Impeached provides a new examination of the rise and fall of Ferguson's political fortunes, offering a focused look at how battles over economic class, academic freedom, women's enfranchisement, and concentrated political power came to be directed toward one politician. On July 21, 1917, in the midst of the excitement, Ferguson appeared before the Travis County grand jury, and several days later it was announced that he had been indicted on nine charges. Needed buildings were provided at other eleemosynary institutions. Impeachment is the equivalent of an indictment. James Ferguson was brought down by his lunch.Full story: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/. You have permission to edit this article. Though Fergusons hatred for UT ran deep, he never fully explained his animus. After returning to Bell County, he farmed and worked with a railroad-bridge gang until, after a brief study of law, he was admitted to the bar in 1897 and began the practice of law in Belton. After 20 days have elapsed from article adoption, if the Governor, Lt. The entire process is substantially the same in Texas for elected officials, as it is for most of the other states. [8], Prior to his inauguration, Ferguson conferred with officials at the University of Texas regarding appointments affecting learning and higher education. Gov. You can cancel at any time. The Constitution gives the House power to impeach the president, officials appointed by the president (including cabinet officers) and judges. Thats how she likes it. The impeachment process begins with the House of Representatives. [18] He added that the investigation was "extraordinary political theater. He claimed to be a successful businessman; he was not. [8] Hall, as an individual citizen, filed FOIA requests with the University system after his inquiries via his role as a Regent were rebuffed. Pat Neff. 1. so that gubernatorial elections will not be influenced by a presidential election 2. so that candidates cannot run for governor and a federal office at the same time 3. so that voters will not become overwhelmed by too many candidates in one year 4. because Texas happened to become part of the US during an off-year The Constitution gives the House power to impeach the president, officials appointed by the president (including cabinet officers), and judges. Both women followed husbands who had served earlier. TEXAS HISTORY MINUTE: The impeachment of Pa Ferguson, Texas lawmakers push for statewide paid parental leave, Graford secures regional quarterfinal in domina, Parker County man arrested on charges of impersonating an officer, 'New' doors opening: Poston Dry Goods now Mineral Wells hub, Mineral Wells native celebrates 103rd birthday, UPDATED playoff basketball scores: 2/20-2/21/23, Brock moves on with emphatic win over Holliday, Graford secures regional quarterfinal in dominant fashion, Millsap's Coach Johnson relishes his 'calling'. He lost the 1922 Democratic Primary race for U. S. Senate by a wide margin. The actual trial on those charges, and subsequent removal of an official on conviction on those charges, is separate from the act of impeachment itself. He believed that "a Negro has no business whatever taking a part in the political affairs of the Democratic party, the white man's party." In addition, he established Farmers State Bank. In retaliation, Ferguson vetoed the entire appropriation for the university. FERGUSON IMPEACHMENT. When James Ferguson failed to get his name on the ballot in 1924, Miriam entered the race for the Texas governorship. The issues were prohibition, the tax rate, and certain unpalatable rumors concerning the Ferguson administration. In 1906, he sold Farmers bank and established Temple State Bank. Ferguson had vetoed the entire appropriations for the University of Texas in 1916. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. Two years later they lost a reelection bid amid new scandals concerning excessive pardons and political patronage abuses. [5], On December 31, 1899, he married Miriam A. Wallace at her family home. General Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin, Liberal Arts Instructional Technology Services. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. These included misappropriation of state funds, falsification of records, unwarranted interference with the control of the University of Texashe directed the board of regents to fire a leading educator and prominent Democrat, A. Carswell Ellisand refusal to divulge the source of a personal loan of $156,500, a huge sum at the time. Hearing the gasps in the chamber, Ferguson immediately asked to strike the comment. The fact is that he had parked state funds in his bank for personal gain and he had run his bank as a one-man Ponzi scheme. 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. In order for an official to be impeached, articles of impeachment must be brought by the Texas House of Representatives. The fight with the university touched off a massive scandal. James Edward Ferguson, also called Farmer Jim or Pa was born in Bell County in 1871. Public policy. 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. His father died when he was 4. Gov. He often said, civilization begins and ends with the plow. Ferguson was a mesmerizing speaker and storyteller and was splendidly fluent in the dialects of rural Texas. He was barred, but managed to have his wife ("Ma Ferguson") elected governor; she was elected for a second term in 1932. He is interred next to his wife at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin. Though he was kicked out of office and disgraced in front of his colleagues, Ferguson was still popular among his hardcore supporters and rallied back. He was elected governor in 1914, his first election. There are 31 members of the Texas State Senate. He was impeached in 1917 and removed from office. At the same time, officials had begun looking into Fergusons finances. Impeached provides a new examination of the rise and fall of Ferguson's political fortunes, offering a focused look at how battles over economic class, academic freedom, women's enfranchisement, and concentrated political power came to be directed toward one . An effort was begun in 2013 to investigate the possibility of impeaching University of Texas Regent Wallace Hall. Ferguson declared that the Legislature was nothing more than a kangaroo court," resigned a day before the official conviction, and was steadfast in his beliefs that the judgment didnt apply to him, according to Rutherford. He became a lawyer in 1897, married Miriam A. Wallace in 1899, and expanded into real estate, insurance and banking. Only two elected officials in the history of Texas have ever been successfully impeached. . After all, he was known as Farmer Jim. The Legislature then came back into session to consider impeachment, an attempt Ferguson immediately condemned. Johnson Roofing built a business on topping off buildings, but when it comes to its legacy, Bill Johnson and daughter Sherri focus on the foundation. Ferguson made bond of $13,000 and announced his candidacy for a third term as governor. As historian Cortez Ewing pointed out, Ferguson was the voice of the people, and with his sixth-grade education, he promoted the idea that he had not suffered the damages of higher degrees. By W.F. The most discussed plank in his platform, which appealed especially to tenant farmers, proposed a law that would limit the rent charged by landlords and prevent the collection of bonuses. Even during the workday Christina De La Cruzs family is rarely far away. The first and only Texas governor to be impeached is Governor James "Pa" Ferguson. Despite the Senate's conviction, Ferguson sought to run for governor again in 1924. Texas History Minute: Jim Ferguson only Texas governor to be impeached, removed By Ken Bridges Jan 30, 2020 0 1 of 2 Gov. Donations by CCWH members and other patrons support CCWH awards and initiatives. The letter claimed that Winkler was the best person for the job. The policy of state aid to rural schools was begun, and a rather timid law requiring compulsory school attendance was passed. With strong support from progressive and anti-Prohibition forces, "Farmer Jim" was elected governor of Texas in 1914. Instead, the House immediately turned its attention to 21 articles of impeachment. He was by this time an old man. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky and Bruce A. Glasrud have brought together top scholars to shine a light on this unique chapter in Texas history. During Ferguson's first term, the legislature passed several measures of major importance. [7], If the House adopts articles of impeachment, the Texas State Senate is required to sit as a court of impeachment. Encyclopedia.com. The vote made him ineligible to hold any office of honor, trust or profit in the state of Texas. Ferguson was the only "wet" candidate in the Democratic primary and garnered all of the anti-prohibitionist votes over a plurality of "dry" candidates. he was accused of misuse of public funds following his call for a special legislative session When a governor is removed from office, resigns, or dies or becomes incapacitated while in office, who becomes governor? Low 54F. After he was appointed in 2011, Hall began looking into what he believed to be clout scandals within the University of Texas system. The Legislature cannot call itself into special session. When he was four years old, his father died. Ferguson was on the ballot only in Texas, where he received 47,968 votes (9.9 percent of the vote in Texas, 0.2 percent of the vote nationwide). However, the judgment to impeachhanded down one day after his resignation-was upheld, preventing him from holding public office in Texas. 1914 campaign literature in which Ferguson fires back against criticisms from his 'dry' opponent, Thomas H. Ball, and others in the prohibition faction. The Fergusons retired from public life afterward with James Ferguson dying in 1944 and his wife passing away in 1961. ." Legislators have accused Hall of abusing his power and targeting University of Texas, Austin President Bill Powers, while Hall maintains he was acting as a responsible regent investigating situations of clout and accountability problems within the University of Texas system. if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; What's on my ballot? Both elected and non-elected officials can be impeached in Texas. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Though no Texas official has been impeached and removed from office at the state level since Ferguson, Texas politics has hardly been scandal-free. [7], In 1914, Ferguson was elected as governor of Texas by running as an anti-prohibitionist Democrat. Please subscribe to keep reading. The state was blue, then really indigo. In 1928, for the first time since 1914, Ferguson was not an active participant in a political campaign, but even then he took some interest in the race for the governorship and gave his support to Louis J. Wardlaw. Hall updated Governor Rick Perry's office in April 2013 with the full list. Ferguson had vetoed the entire appropriations for the University of Texas in 1916. Ma placed a distant fifth. And she won. The House immediately turned its attention to the numerous charges against the governor and, after a lengthy investigation, prepared twenty-one articles of impeachment. 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. The day before he was thrown out of office he resigned, saying it didn't count. The Fergusons beat Robertson and went to the Governor's Mansion for a third time. The tenant law was passed but remained on the statute books only a short time before being declared unconstitutional. The State Senate reduced the charges to ten, half of which dealt with the transfer of the $5,600. James Ferguson was a banker from Temple who would become governor in 1914 - famous, or infamous, as the only Texas governor to face impeachment. Ma Ferguson was elected as Govenor or Texas in 1925 and in 1933. System has not protected the privacy rights of students, staff, and patients. Though as of this writing, three presidents have been impeached, none have ever been removed from office. Double your gift when you give by 6 p.m. Thursday. . Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Nellie Tayloe Ross was sworn in on January 5, 1925; Miriam Ferguson followed on January 20. He only made the ballot in Texas, winning just under 10% of the vote. Yet the House rejected a broad attempt to impeach Johnson for abuse of power in 1867, because many congressmen felt a president had to commit a crime to be impeached. In 1917, James E. Ferguson, nicknamed "Pa Ferguson," was impeached and removed from the governorship of Texas. Ferguson was convinced that Vinson was behind the protest. Ferguson was also surpassed by three other unsuccessful candidates: Ferguson failed at his bid for the United States Senate in 1922, having lost in the Democratic runoff election to Earle Bradford Mayfield. As a political speaker he had few equals. Barred from state office, he ran for president in 1920 on the American Party ticket. The chairman of the investigating committee, William H. Bledsoe of Lubbock, called for impeachment. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of more than two dozen books, most recently Anti-Black Violence in Twentieth-Century Texas. Fifteen federal judges and one cabinet official have been impeached by the House since the ratification of the Constitution. James "Pa" Ferguson was the Governor of Texas from 1915 to 1917, when he was impeached and convicted on several charges. He convened the commission, and the body approved that Barker write a letter to the Governor-elect. Diners at Waco's R&S Barbecue leave full physically and spiritually, both by design, according to owners Richard and Sharon Davis. (b. To impeach, the House simply needs a majority vote on the different charges involved. Impeached provides a new examination of the rise and fall of Ferguson's political fortunes, offering a focused look at how battles over economic class, academic freedom, women's enfranchisement, and concentrated political power came to be directed toward one . In 1917, barely into his second term as governor of Texas, James E. Ferguson was impeached, convicted, and removed from office. He had been an opponent of Ferguson for the Democratic party's nomination for governor in 1914.[11]. The founders did not invent impeachment. 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. James Edward Ferguson, also called Farmer Jim or Pa was born in Bell County in 1871. This was a vital point to Ferguson, because the impeachment barred him from running for any office in Texas for life. Governor and President Pro Tempore have not acted, then by proclamation of a signed majority of the members of the Senate. 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. [17] Governor of Texas Rick Perry's spokesperson said the investigations send a "chilling message" to gubernatorial appointees. It was, in his mind, absolute. [15][16] No unelected official in Texas has ever been successfully impeached or removed from office. Provision was made for the establishment of the Austin State School. Leah LaGrone Ochoa then explores Fergusons hot-and-cold relationship with the Texas press, and Mark Stanley examines the impact of the impeachment on Texas politics in the decades that followed. Soon the talk of impeachment is echoing through the halls of the Capitol. And once again, there is talk of impeachment in the Legislature. He was popular for his folksy charm across. He lost the 1922 Democratic Primary race for U.S. Senate by a wide margin. Ferguson was indicted on nine charges which included misapplication of public funds, embezzlement and the diversion of a special fund. The framers considered impeachment an important check on the power of the presidency and against corruption. While there, legislators legally took up another matter, impeachment. How to run for office | Ferguson's attack against Mayes resulted in a drive by the legislature to impeach Ferguson. (February 23, 2023). Ferguson also ran for President of the United States in the 1920 election as the candidate of the American Party. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. There were two major elements of the impeachment charges brought against Ferguson in 1917. 23 Feb. 2023 . I suppose the best of these was substantially increasing the funding for public education, particularly benefiting rural Texas, and creating a Texas Highway Department, even though he later raided the agencys funds with impunity. Impeached: The Removal of Texas Governor James E. Fergusonreveals how power ebbed and flowed in twentieth-century Texas and includes several annotated primary documents critical to understanding the Ferguson impeachment. He was a popular figure, signing laws protecting sharecroppers and providing state funding for rural schools. Democrat James "Pa" Ferguson Jr. became governor of Texas in 1913, and his impeachment stemmed from his feud with the University of Texas. James Edward (Pa) Ferguson (1871-1944), Texas governor, son of James Edward and Fannie (Fitzpatrick) Ferguson, was born on August 31, 1871, near Salado, Bell County, Texas. Sam Houston was the first president of the Independent Republic of Texas , and he later served as governor of the state of T, Connally, John Bowden, Jr. Dictionary of American History. He later ran anyway, claiming that he had resigned before he was convicted. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Landowners were assured, however, that they need not be alarmed by the proposal, as it would benefit all concerned. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Almost a century later, the impeachment of Ferguson by the Texas House of Representatives presents both striking similarities and key differences to the ongoing Hall saga. Impeached. James Edward Ferguson Collection, Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Dictionary of American History. Resigned, saying it didn & # x27 ; t count then came back into the.... 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