Miriam "Ma" Ferguson : First Woman Governor of Texas

Miriam Ferguson was a quiet, private person who preferred to stay home in her big house in Temple, Texas, and take care of her husband, raise her two daughters, and tend to her flower garden.


But in 1924 she was elected governor of Texas, the first woman governor elected in the United States.


Her husband, Jim Ferguson, served two terms as governor, but during his second term he was impeached, which meant he could not run again for public office. So Miriam agreed to run to clear his name and restore the family's honor.


She served two terms as governor: from 1925 to 1927 and from 1933 to 1935. She and her husband became known as "Ma" and "Pa" Ferguson. Her campaign slogan was, "Two Governors for the Price of One."
 

JUDY ALTER is the author of fiction and nonfiction for both adults and young readers, as well as an enthusiastic cook, blogger, and reader of mysteries. She has won awards from the Texas Institute of Letters, Western Writers of America, the National Cowboy Museum and Hall of Fame, and an Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement from WWA. Judy was named an Outstanding Woman of Fort Worth in 1989 by the Mayor’s Commission on the Status of Women (for Arts) and named one of the one hundred women, living and dead, who have left their mark on Texas by the

Judy is currently director of Texas Christian University Press in Fort Worth, a position she has held for twenty-two years. A single parent of four and grandmother of seven, she lives in Fort Worth, Texas, with her Australian shepherd, Scooby, and her fluffy gray cat, wywy. Judy entertains frequently, always experimenting and looking for new dishes. Keep up with her at www.judys-stew.blogspot.com.

Dallas Morning News.