This might sound like the controversy involving UT System Regent Wallace Hall, an appointee of Gov. Your donation keeps our trusted reporting free and accessible for all Texans and during a legislative session when lawmakers are set to tackle issues from school choice for K-12 students to school safety improvements to changes in property taxes, its critical that Texans know what lawmakers decisions mean for their futures. Similarly, the Texas constitution gives the lower house of the legislature power to impeach judges, the governor, and statewide elected officials. She would serve one more term as governor from 1933 to 1935. He was re-elected in 1916. ex-governor banned from holding state office. 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. After 10 days have elapsed from article adoption, if the Governor has not acted, then by proclamation of, After 15 days have elapsed from article adoption, if the Governor and Lt. Winds light and variable. Her most recent publications include contributions to Texas Women: Their Histories, Their Lives and Discovering Texas History. It appears that there were no criminal proceedings in this case. Has Austin Eliminated All Restrictions On People Experiencing Homelessness? In 1924, his wife, Miriam Ma Ferguson won election as governor as a stand-in candidate in a tightly-contested race. A powerful governor clashes with the University of Texas at Austin. Eight federal judges have been convicted in the Senate and removed from office. During the events that led up to the final quarrel, the University of Texas Board of Regents had repeatedly refused to remove certain faculty members whom Ferguson found objectionable. The 1920 presidential election was won by Republican candidate Warren Harding. The Ferguson controversy with the university brought renewed interest in the old charges, however, and at about the same time a number of new charges were made. The Legislature cannot call itself into special session. He became a lawyer in 1897, married Miriam A. Wallace in 1899, and expanded into real estate, insurance and banking. Democratic nominee James M. Cox won in Texas, where the white majority was voting solidly Democratic. At the same time, officials had begun looking into Fergusons finances. Scandals of all sorts, from the brazen to the bizarre, have occurred for decades at all levels. Its president is in the crosshairs. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "Ma" Ferguson became the second female governor in the United States, with Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming being the first. Impeached: The Removal of Texas Governor James E. Ferguson (Texas A&M University Press, 2017) Hardcover. 4. KVUE is looking back at the history of some past Texas governors. James Edward Ferguson, also called Farmer Jim or Pa was born in Bell County in 1871. "In light of the fundamental role attorneys play, it would lead to an absurd result were it criminal for an official to provide student records to his or her attorney in the face of litigation, or anticipated litigation, involving these records," Philip Hilder wrote in the report. At age 12 he entered Salado College (a preparatory school) but was eventually expelled for disobedience. Amplify your impact and donate now. If the Senate is not in session, there are four ways by which it may be convened.[7]. Which Way Will Harris County Precinct 3 Turn In 2020? Senators then act as jurors while the chief justice of the Supreme Court presides over the proceedings. James Ferguson is the only governor to be impeached and convicted. He was an avowed enemy of the KKK, but to hear him talk about black people, youd have thought he had earned his hood. He was barred, but managed to have his wife ("Ma Ferguson") elected governor; she was elected for a second term in 1932. 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. Jordan, Barbara Charline The movement to impeach and remove James Ferguson as governor ultimately ended with Ferguson _____. The entire process is substantially the same in Texas for elected officials, as it is for most of the other states. He was re-elected in 1916. He was elected governor in 1914, his first election. Five of the articles sustained by the Senate charged Ferguson with the misapplication of public funds, three related to his quarrel with the University, one declared that he had failed properly to respect and enforce the banking laws of the state, and one charged that he had received $156,500 in currency from a source that he refused to reveal. In 1924, Ferguson entered his wife Miriam, known as "Ma", in the Democratic gubernatorial primary. Impeachment is the power of a legislative body to address charges of impropriety or criminality by a government official, such as a governor or lieutenant governor. Gulf of Mexico warming at faster rate than global ocean, study finds, As Texas STAAR test goes fully online, teachers feel defeated, Texas Education Agency projects confidence, Texas Standard for Feb. 23, 2023: Why many cotton farmers arent planting as much this year. Of course, her husband was the only one the amnesty applied to. The Regents refused. Thats how she likes it. Ferguson was indicted on nine charges which included misapplication of public funds, embezzlement and the diversion of a special fund. The landholdings of the prison system were greatly increased, and because of the rising price of farm commodities, the system became self-sustaining; during the years of war prosperity, it showed a profit. When the House is not in session, there are three ways that the House may be convened for purposes of impeachment. Proclamation signed by a majority of the members of the House. Ma Ferguson was elected as Govenor or Texas in 1925 and in 1933. So to prove this to them, Ferguson called a special session to consider a UT funding bill he could sign. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. System has not protected the privacy rights of students, staff, and patients. While there, legislators legally took up another matter, impeachment. I dont care who you are.. [17] Governor of Texas Rick Perry's spokesperson said the investigations send a "chilling message" to gubernatorial appointees. Reprinted with permission from the Handbook of Texas Online, a joint project of the Texas State Historical Association and the General Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin. Before the process could be completed, Ferguson resigned from office, contending that the legislative action against him was a kangaroo court. He was replaced by William P. Hobby after the Texas House of Representatives found him guilty in ten of twenty-one charges. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. He said the governor served the people, but he used the power of the office to reward his friends and crush not just his political enemies, but good servants of the state whose only offense was not voting for him. Carillo in 1975. He started his own newspaper that fall, Ferguson Forum, to promote his views that the impeachment was illegitimate. Though he had signed legislation creating three new colleges, he found himself in a feud with professors at the University of Texas. A part of his appeal as a candidate for governor was his support for white supremacy in the political process. The Legislature is aghast at the meddling with the flagship state university. [11] Another leading Ferguson critic on the UT campus was the historian Eugene C. Barker. It was, in his mind, absolute. 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. Title 6, Chapter 665 of the Texas Government Code addresses the impeachment and removal of public officers by the state house. Why was Governor James E. Ferguson impeached and convicted in 1917? If the state legislature is not in regular session during the time of impeachment, a special session can be called specifically to handle impeachments. James E. Ferguson Called on Tejanos to rise up/support the revolution; Called on other minorities to join Tejanos to carve out a republic from land US took from Mexico US Pancho Villa Mexican guerilla leader led an attack on Columbus NM (Mar. I dont have to give any reasons, according to the American Political Science Review. [10], After being re-elected in 1916, Ferguson vetoed the appropriations for the University of Texas. Soon after, the alumni group began taking out ads in newspapers calling for the governors impeachment. Though he had signed legislation creating three new. In July 1917, he was indicted for misappropriation of funds. James Ferguson. As a result of his actions, in 1917, Ferguson became the only Texas governor impeached and removed from office. He claimed to be painstakingly honest; he was an embezzler. Both women followed husbands who had served earlier. Ferguson was born to the Reverend James E. Ferguson, and Fannie Ferguson near Salado in south Bell County, Texas. 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 . 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. Soon the talk of impeachment is echoing through the halls of the Capitol. Only two elected officials in the history of Texas have ever been successfully impeached. The founders did not invent impeachment. In 1918 he sought the Democratic party nomination for the governorship but was defeated by William P. Hobby. StrongJanuary 29, 202010:48 amArts & Culture, Stories From Texas, Bain News Service /Wikimedia Commons [Public domain]. He posted bond and wasted no time in announcing his candidacy for a third term as governor. In 1917, barely into his second term as governor of Texas, James E. Ferguson was impeached, convicted, and removed from office. The vote was 25-3. There is no regularly scheduled session until 2015. Ballotpedia features 395,442 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. Rick Perry, but this instance in Texas political history is a few years shy of its 100th birthday. In addition, he established Farmers State Bank. Ferguson would often call into question the value of a college diploma, saying it was book learning gone to seed. He said some professors took three years to learn that you couldnt grow wool on an armadillo. His constituency, he claimed, resided where the creeks forked and he felt they were getting short-changed by not getting enough basic education, while the kids at UT were getting too much of it., He said those kids go up to Austin for four years and return home with nothing but a mandolin and liver damage. As my brother Redneck Dave would say, That right there is funny. It proved his undoing. He was a popular figure, singing laws protecting sharecroppers and providing state funding for rural schools. 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." But Ferguson ran for governor in the 1918 Democratic primary. Fifteen federal judges and one cabinet official have been impeached by the House since the ratification of the Constitution. Norman Kittrell, Governors Who Have Been and Other Public Men of Texas (Houston: Dealy-Adey-Elgin, 1921). ." 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. Early in his second term the governor became involved in a serious quarrel with the University of Texas. {{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. You can cancel at any time. [6] They had two daughters: Ouida Wallace Ferguson, and Dorrace Watt Ferguson. In 1917, Gov. The Constitution gives the House power to impeach the president, officials appointed by the president (including cabinet officers) and judges. The second had to do with his utilization of the Temple Bank he had controlling interest in as his personal slush fund. An argument over spending tax dollars, an attempt to silence political opponents, and charges of a kangaroo court. This is not a current story but a faint echo of a notorious event in Texas History, the impeachment of Gov. 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'. We help women historians thrive through events, resources, and community. In 1924, unable to run under his own name, he ran his wife's campaign for the governorship against Judge Felix Robertson, the candidate endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan. 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 . Two years later they lost a reelection bid amid new scandals concerning excessive pardons and political patronage abuses. If that is the case, then the state house must follow procedures outlined regarding calling a special session specifically for the process of impeachment. The House sent 21 articles of impeachment to the Senate. . Almost a century later, the Ferguson impeachment presents both striking similarities and key differences to the ongoing saga involving University of Texas System Regent Wallace Hall. Prohibition was a major issue in the campaign of 1914, with several aspirants for the governorship on both sides of the question. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. The fight with the university touched off a massive scandal. Ma placed a distant fifth. 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