When the House is not in session, there are three ways that the House may be convened for purposes of impeachment. A powerful governor clashes with the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Ken Bridges is a writer, historian and native Texan who enjoys sharing these stories about people from the Lone Star state. Democratic nominee James M. Cox won in Texas, where the white majority was voting solidly Democratic. The chairman of the investigating committee, William H. Bledsoe of Lubbock, called for impeachment. His mother continued to live on the farm, and he began working in the fields as a young boy. Ma Ferguson was elected as Govenor or Texas in 1925 and in 1933. Soon the talk of impeachment is echoing through the halls of the Capitol. When the Democratic Party dominated the Texas political landscape, winning the Democratic primary often sealed the election results. Ferguson convinced his wife to run one more time in 1940. They then sent the charges to the State Senate for trial. [12], [13] In addition, Cigarroa wrote: "During testimony before the Select Committee, some early witnesses implied that the U.T. He was associated with the Farmers State Bank of Belton for several years and was a member of the Texas Bankers Association. Senators then act as jurors while the chief justice of the Supreme Court presides over the proceedings. Nellie Tayloe Ross was sworn in on January 5, 1925; Miriam Ferguson followed on January 20. Instead, the House immediately turned its attention to 21 articles of impeachment. 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. Encyclopedia.com. First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/ferguson-impeachment, "Ferguson Impeachment Jordan, Barbara Charline Lewis L. Gould, Progressives and Prohibitionists: Texas Democrats in the Wilson Era (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1973; rpt., Austin: Texas State Historical Association, 1992). Senators will then act as jurors while the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presides over the proceedings. James Edward Ferguson Collection, Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin. You have permission to edit this article. Connally, John Bowden, Jr. 2] THE IMPEACHMENT OF JAMES E. FERGUSON I85 there, was immediately converted to the legal profession. 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. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. The state was blue, then really indigo. After 20 days have elapsed from article adoption, if the Governor, Lt. 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 . The chair of the State Library and Historical Commission, Eugene C. Barker, heard talk about these plans and intervened in support of Winkler. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. He only made the ballot in Texas, winning just under 10% of the vote. Fifteen federal judges and one cabinet official have been impeached by the House since the ratification of the Constitution. Ferguson was indicted on nine charges which included misapplication of public funds, embezzlement and the diversion of a special fund. Vinson asked what they had done to deserve it and he said, I dont need a reason, Im the governor.. "Ma" Ferguson became the second female governor in the United States, with Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming being the first. Early in his second term the governor became involved in a serious quarrel with the University of Texas. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky concludes with an assessment of the historical memory of Fergusons impeachment throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Of course, her husband was the only one the amnesty applied to. 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 . James Edward Ferguson, also called Farmer Jim or Pa was born in Bell County in 1871. He claimed to be painstakingly honest; he was an embezzler. The prohibitionists passed over their better-known leaders and gave their support to Charles H. Morris of Winnsboro, a political unknown. Ferguson declared that the legislature constituted little more than a "kangaroo court," but only a few Carillo in 1975. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. He convened the commission, and the body approved that Barker write a letter to the Governor-elect. Committee member Dan Flynn said he was not surprised by the findings and was pleased the university counsel reached a conclusion.[21][22][23][24]. Ferguson's attack against Mayes resulted in a drive by the legislature to impeach Ferguson. Encyclopedia.com. Three others dealt with the veto of university funding as an abuse of power and official oppression. [7], In 1914, Ferguson was elected as governor of Texas by running as an anti-prohibitionist Democrat. When James Ferguson failed to get his name on the ballot in 1924, Miriam entered the race for the Texas governorship. He loaned himself so much money that he practically bankrupted his own bank. Elected in 1914 and re-elected in 1916, he faced 21 articles of impeachment and resigned during the trial in the Senate on September 24, 1917, one day before the Senate voted to remove him from office and disqualify him from holding office again. Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox. The Senate, sitting as a High Court of Impeachment, spent three weeks considering the charges and finally convicted the governor on ten . Dictionary of American History. Animals talk; all you have to do is listen. For Trey and Carol South, love of animals feeds their souls, and clients are assured their pets . 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 . Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. If the House adopts articles of impeachment, the Texas State Senate must then sit as the court of impeachment. The specifics are left to the state legislators to determine. In retaliation, Ferguson vetoed the entire appropriation for the university. Dan Moody. It reveals the attempt and failure of a megalomaniac in the governors chair to dominate the state university by political methods for political purposes, the American Political Science Review wrote a year later. by Nicole Shealy The framers considered impeachment an important check on the power of the presidency and against corruption. Similarly, the Texas constitution gives the lower house of the legislature power to impeach judges, the governor, and statewide elected officials. Gould, Lewis L. "The University Becomes Politicized: The War with Jim Ferguson." House Speaker Franklin Fuller called a special session to consider charges of impeachment against the governor. The incumbent State Librarian was Ernest Winkler, who was a professional historian with years of experience as a librarian. In 1917, Gov. W. V. Howerton, ed., Facts on Ferguson: A Review of the Impeachment and a Reply to Charges Made by Ex-Governor Ferguson (Austin, 1918). 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. Ferguson was indicted on nine charges in July 1917. The Texas Senate reduced the charges to 10, half of which dealt with the transfer of the $5,600. When they wouldnt, he started replacing them one by one and withheld state funding from the university to force UT to obey his orders. 100% remote. Similarly, the Texas Constitution gives the lower house of the legislature power to impeach judges, the governor and statewide elected officials. (February 23, 2023). 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. Some have said Hall is being targeted for uncovering evidence of political favoritism with respect to admissions processes.[6]. Only two Texas public officials have been impeached in the state's history. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Her most recent publications include contributions to Texas Women: Their Histories, Their Lives and Discovering Texas History. Nine of the charges can be described as violations of the law, while the obtaining of $156,500 from a secret source was certainly not in keeping with good policy. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Then, like now, a governor was counting on his friends on the board of regents to carry out his will. Its president is in the crosshairs. In July 1917, he was indicted for misappropriation of funds. The first and only Texas governor to be impeached is Governor James "Pa" Ferguson. The Texas Senate, many of whom had served under William Harding Mayes and with whom Mayes maintained cordial relationships,[14] removed Ferguson as governor and declared him ineligible to hold office under Texas jurisdiction. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by his successor and incumbent, William P. Hobby of Houston, previously the lieutenant governor. That committee has been holding a series of meetings in late 2013. James Edward Ferguson, also called Farmer Jim or Pa was born in Bell County in 1871. There were two major elements of the impeachment charges brought against Ferguson in 1917. Provision was made for the establishment of the Austin State School. But in the midst of this personal war he had sparked with the flagship university in Austin, Ferguson appeared before a Travis County grand jury and was indicted on nine charges. 1914 campaign literature in which Ferguson fires back against criticisms from his 'dry' opponent, Thomas H. Ball, and others in the prohibition faction. State legislature | It proved his undoing. He was replaced by William P. Hobby after the Texas House of Representatives found him guilty in ten of twenty-one charges. In 1917, James Ferguson was impeached and removed from office as governor of Texas while under indictment. | The Board of Regents hired the firm to review whether Hall may have violated any federal privacy laws in his handling of student information. The House immediately turned its attention to the numerous charges against the governor and, after a lengthy investigation, prepared twenty-one articles of impeachment. ." Federal courts | Kay Reed Arnold then follows the Ferguson story into the halls of academia at the University of Texaswhich Ferguson threatened to closesparking a fierce response by faculty, alumni, students, and, especially, the Womens Committee for Good Government. James Ferguson died on September 21, 1944, and was buried in the State Cemetery in Austin. How to vote | November 2013 testimony prompted committee-member Trey Fischer to request the inquiry. Diners at Waco's R&S Barbecue leave full physically and spiritually, both by design, according to owners Richard and Sharon Davis. System has not protected the privacy rights of students, staff, and patients. The policy of state aid to rural schools was begun, and a rather timid law requiring compulsory school attendance was passed. Please visit the expanded Texas Politics Project website to learn more about our updated webtext and to find additional educational resources. January 1996 in Austin, Texas), first black southern woman in the United States Congress. 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. Title 6, Chapter 665 of the Texas Government Code addresses the impeachment and removal of public officers by the state house. The account said Ferguson accused the student protesters of committing treason against him. [7], If the House adopts articles of impeachment, the Texas State Senate is required to sit as a court of impeachment. Among the charges was falsifying campaign finance reports to conceal a loan to his campaign of $350,000. Jordan wa, Houston, Sam Pat Neff. The founders did not invent impeachment. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. The charges of impeachment grew from a controvesy with the University of Texas administration, and resulted in Ferguson being charged with misapplication of public funds among nine other charges. He had been accused of misappropriating funds, but investigations failed to find anything that would warrant impeachment, and the probe seemed to be closed. Jim Pa Ferguson became the first person in Texas to be impeached. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. The Texas House of Representatives prepared 21 charges against Ferguson, and, in his impeachment trial, the Texas Senate convicted him on 10 of those charges, including misapplication of public funds and receiving $156,000 from an unnamed source.[12][13]. He only made the ballot in Texas, winning just under 10% of the vote. U.S. President | One final note of incredulity. This call was of doubtful legality, but Ferguson removed all question by calling the legislature to meet for the purpose of making appropriations for the University of Texas. The chairman of the investigating committee, William H. Bledsoe of Lubbock, called for impeachment. He was kicked out of a local prep school, Salado College, at age 12 for misbehavior. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of more than two dozen books, most recently Anti-Black Violence in Twentieth-Century Texas. 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. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. He decided that the university president must resign, and when Vinson refused, Ferguson vetoed the universitys entire budget. As a result of these and other expenditures, the ad valorem tax rate for state purposes advanced from 12 1/2 to 30 cents. Proclamation signed by a majority of the members of the House. . if(document.getElementsByClassName("reference").length==0) if(document.getElementById('Footnotes')!==null) document.getElementById('Footnotes').parentNode.style.display = 'none'; What's on my ballot? In 1917, Gov. At 16, he left home and drifted through the states of the American West, working successively in a vineyard, a mine, a barbed wire factory, and at a grain ranch. The day before he was thrown out of office he resigned, saying it didn't count. Three others dealt with the veto of university funding as an abuse of power and official oppression. Dictionary of American History. 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In 1917, James E. Ferguson, nicknamed "Pa Ferguson," was impeached and removed from the governorship of Texas. You are currently viewing a legacy feature of the Texas Politics Project website. In 1906, he sold Farmers bank and established Temple State Bank. Ferguson also ran for President of the United States in the 1920 election as the candidate of the American Party. 2003, The Texas State Historical Association. Governor and President Pro Tempore have not acted, then by proclamation of a signed majority of the members of the Senate. Despite his resignation, the State Senate voted 25-3 to convict, which meant that Ferguson could not seek another public office in Texas. 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. 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. 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. Bruce A. Glasrud is professor emeritus of history at California State University, East Bay, and retired dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Sul Ross State University. She won that and the general election,[2] saying that she intended to rely on her husband for advice. However, the date of retrieval is often important. 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. He claimed to be a successful businessman; he was not. There are 150 members of the Texas State House. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. "Ferguson Impeachment [8] Hall, as an individual citizen, filed FOIA requests with the University system after his inquiries via his role as a Regent were rebuffed. He can be reached by email: Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. Heres where Ferguson made his first greatest legal blunder. As much as one might appreciate Fergusons homey aphorisms, a word hed likely have found objectionable because of its academic taint his style loses its charm when you learn all that was revealed at his impeachment. In addition, he established Farmers State Bank. In 1918 he sought the Democratic party nomination for the governorship but was defeated by William P. Hobby. Ferguson cleverly resigned, claiming then that the Senate couldnt uphold an impeachment for someone who wasnt actually in office. The Legislature is aghast at the meddling with the flagship state university. James Ferguson. Dictionary of American History. He made only a few speeches and must have known long before the votes were cast that Mrs. Ferguson had no chance to win. the lieutenant governor 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. Jim Pa Ferguson became the first person in Texas to be impeached. Amplify your impact and donate now. When he was four years old, his father died. But the mere fact that Ferguson had been impeached and made ineligible to hold any office of trust or profit under the state did not in any sense remove him from the field of Texas politics. He liked to say he was no city slicker and no college dude. A government doesnt require educated fools to run properly. ii) During the period between World Wars I and II, James and Miriam Ferguson were the most powerful couple in Texas. Both elected and non-elected officials can be impeached in 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. In her first term, Miriam Ma Ferguson, as she was known, had a law passed that gave amnesty to all Texas officials formerly impeached. 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. Its hard not to like the down-home folksy style that made Texas Gov. we are currently accepting new members. The accusations against Mayes were that he used his ownership of newspapers, including the Brownwood Bulletin, to spread negative information about Ferguson. Only two elected officials in the history of Texas have ever been successfully impeached. Before the process could be completed, Ferguson resigned from office, contending that the legislative action against him was a kangaroo court. 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. Rachel M. Gunter further places the Ferguson impeachment in the context of the suffrage movement. Sam Houston KVUE is looking back at the history of some past Texas governors. Five concerned 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 ($2.9 million in todays dollars) from a source he refused to reveal. American banker and politician (18711944), Brochure, "Meet the Fergusons: Two Governors for the Price of One", Bell County Museum, Belton, Texas, Lucadia Christiana Niles Pease (18671869), Learn how and when to remove this template message, "The Texas Politics Project, Governors of Texas, 12. Millions of Texans have rare diseases. The Senate removed Ferguson from office by a vote of 25-3. Ferguson was convinced that Vinson was behind the protest. He later ran anyway, claiming that he had resigned before he was convicted. Ferguson won the nomination by a majority of about 40,000 votes. You have permission to edit this article. The prohibitionists held an elimination convention and pledged their support to Thomas H. Ball of Houston. [4], In Texas, two officials have been successfully impeached -- Governor James Ferguson in 1917 and Judge O.P. To be the Democratic nominee for governor was the same as being elected governor. Carrillospent three years in a federal penitentiary. Meanwhile, Winkler fought for his job by enlisting the help of his colleagues. The entire process is substantially the same in Texas for elected officials, as it is for most of the other states. 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. Three new normal schools were authorized. 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. In 1940 Mrs. Ferguson again sought the governorship, and for the last time "Farmer Jim" appealed to the voters of Texas. In 1925, Miriam became the first female governor of Texas after campaigning as a stand-in for her husband, and James E. Ferguson became the first gentleman of Texas for her two terms. Its our 10th year participating in Amplify, and to celebrate, weve got $15,000 in matching funds from four generous Tribune supporters. The most that the select committee can do would be to recommend to the full state house that articles of impeachment be drafted. The Court of Impeachment, by a vote of twenty-five to three, removed Ferguson from office and made him ineligible to hold any office of honor, trust, or profit under the state of Texas. The House sent 21 articles of impeachment to the Senate. 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. 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? The tenant law was passed but remained on the statute books only a short time before being declared unconstitutional. Apply today! Eight governors have been removed from office through impeachment. [1] Impeachments in Texas begin in the Texas House of Representatives which must cast a majority vote in favor of impeachment. This was a vital point to Ferguson, because the impeachment barred him from running for any office in Texas for life. 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. His wife was defeated for re-election in 1926, following questions of improper use of her pardoning power. 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. As a political speaker he had few equals. [9] According to his accusers, Hall filed requests of more than 800,000 pages, which some Texas administrators called an unnecessary burden. 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. Hearing the gasps in the chamber, Ferguson immediately asked to strike the comment.