why was james ferguson impeached

." With strong support from progressive and anti-Prohibition forces, "Farmer Jim" was elected governor of Texas in 1914. 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 1917, James Ferguson was impeached and removed from office as governor of Texas while under indictment. The report concluded that Hall had a legitimate reason for having the documents in question. 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. 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. Throughout his years in banking he took an active interest in county and local politics. Even his former political allies couldn't find him innocent in the face of such damning evidence - and his own indefensible behavior. Ballotpedia features 395,442 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. 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. Which Way Will Harris County Precinct 3 Turn In 2020? Oklahoma has impeached and removed two governors, and West Virginia impeached four members of its State Supreme Court at the same time in 2018. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). State executives | His wife was defeated for re-election in 1926, following questions of improper use of her pardoning power. In 1917, barely into his second term as governor of Texas, James E. Ferguson was impeached, convicted, and removed from office. She would serve one more term as governor from 1933 to 1935. State legislature | It was, in his mind, absolute. Ferguson's attack against Mayes resulted in a drive by the legislature to impeach Ferguson. While the campaign of 1916 was in progress, the Ferguson administration had been charged with a number of irregularities. A reiteration and compilation of documents created in the House impeachment proceedings. As a result of his actions, in 1917, Ferguson became the only Texas governor impeached and removed from office. 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. While there, legislators legally took up another matter, impeachment. But the day before the conviction was certain to come down. 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. 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. The conviction forbade Ferguson to hold "any office of honor, trust, or profit" in Texas. Bruce Rutherford, The Impeachment of Jim Ferguson (Austin: Eakin Press, 1983). He entered Salado College, a local preparatory school, at age twelve but was eventually expelled for disobedience. When the Democratic Party dominated the Texas political landscape, winning the Democratic primary often sealed the election results. Ma placed a distant fifth. 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. Meanwhile, Winkler fought for his job by enlisting the help of his colleagues. You are currently viewing a legacy feature of the Texas Politics Project website. The letter claimed that Winkler was the best person for the job. Dr. Ken Bridges is a writer, historian and native Texan. Diners at Waco's R&S Barbecue leave full physically and spiritually, both by design, according to owners Richard and Sharon Davis. Barred from state office, he ran for president in 1920 on the American Party ticket. 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). He was associated with the Farmers State Bank of Belton for several years and was a member of the Texas Bankers Association. Dictionary of American History. He was kicked out of a local prep school, Salado College, at age 12 for misbehavior. Jordan, Barbara Charline During Ferguson's first term, the legislature passed several measures of major importance. 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. Apply today! Dan Moody. months before, both the House and the Senate had refused to sustain charges against him, and his removal from office was far from certain when the legislature convened in special session. The Texas Legislative Code governs the process by which the Texas State Legislature can be brought into special session to address an impeachment proceeding. By W.F. Jordan wa, Houston, Sam 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 was a popular figure, signing laws protecting sharecroppers and providing state funding for rural schools. Soon the talk of impeachment is echoing through the halls of the Capitol. System has not protected the privacy rights of students, staff, and patients. In his eyes, the university was made up of corruptionists, draft dodgers, two-bit thieves and butterfly chasers, according to a historical account compiled by what is now the Texas Exes. 2-stem governor fro 1921-1924 . 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. Join us! Ferguson was indicted on nine charges in July 1917. The Fergusons beat Robertson and went to the Governor's Mansion for a third time. The Senate found Ferguson guilty on five charges relating to mishandling of public funds and abuse of power in relation to the university. Scandals of all sorts, from the brazen to the bizarre, have occurred for decades at all levels. He was defeated in the Democratic primary by his successor and incumbent, William P. Hobby of Houston, previously the lieutenant governor. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. He had been an opponent of Ferguson for the Democratic party's nomination for governor in 1914.[11]. The first and only Texas governor to be impeached is Governor James "Pa" Ferguson. James Edward Ferguson Collection, Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin. Angry that two professors had openly criticized his administration, Ferguson demanded that the board of regents fire them. Ferguson declared that the legislature constituted little more than a "kangaroo court," but only a few Cities | If the state legislature is not in regular session during the time of impeachment, a special session can be called specifically to handle impeachments. (February 23, 2023). 23 Feb. 2023 . [10][11] However, a letter from University chancellor Francisco Cigarroa in February 2014 said that Hall likely requested fewer than 100,000 pages. In 1917, Gov. 27 February 1917 in Floresville, Texas; d. 15 June 1993 in Houston, Texas), governor of Tex, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/ferguson-impeachment. He was popular for his folksy charm across. How to vote | Impeached: The Removal of Texas Governor James E. Ferguson (Texas A&M University Press, 2017) Hardcover. Connally, John Bowden, Jr. 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. Encyclopedia.com. The incumbent State Librarian was Ernest Winkler, who was a professional historian with years of experience as a librarian. Even during the workday Christina De La Cruzs family is rarely far away. Although he had never held office, he was not a stranger to political problems; he had done much work in keeping local-option prohibition from Bell County, had been one of the Bell County managers in the campaign of Robert L. Henry for Congress in 1902, had helped carry Bell County for Cone Johnson in his contest with Joseph Weldon Bailey in 1908, had served as a campaign manager for Robert V. Davidson in 1910, and had aided Oscar B. Colquitt in his successful gubernatorial campaign (1912). Sam Houston Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. 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. The anti-prohibitionists attempted to have a similar convention, but Ferguson, whose statements and Bell County record identified him as an anti-prohibitionist, refused to submit his name to it. The day before he was thrown out of office he resigned, saying it didn't count. However, the judgment to impeachhanded down one day after his resignation-was upheld, preventing him from holding public office in Texas. [1] Impeachments in Texas begin in the Texas House of Representatives which must cast a majority vote in favor of impeachment. Ballot measures, Who represents me? W. V. Howerton, ed., Facts on Ferguson: A Review of the Impeachment and a Reply to Charges Made by Ex-Governor Ferguson (Austin, 1918). The framers considered impeachment an important check on the power of the presidency and against corruption. 100% remote. "[14], An effort was begun in June 2013 to try and impeach Hall from his position as regent. He blamed his directors for running a shoddy operation. . The Senate found Ferguson guilty on five charges relating to mishandling of public funds and abuse of power in relation to the university. 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. Dr. Ken Bridges is a writer, historian and native Texan who enjoys sharing these stories about people from the Lone Star state. He was re-elected in 1916. 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. Samuel Houston (1793-1863), American statesman and soldier, was the person most responsible for bringing Texas into the Union. Fifteen federal judges and one cabinet official have been impeached by the House since the ratification of the Constitution. 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. 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. [5], He also became active in the Democratic Party and managed several local political campaigns. He only made the ballot in Texas, winning just under 10% of the vote. ex-governor banned from holding state office. Heres where Ferguson made his first greatest legal blunder. In 1918 he sought the Democratic party nomination for the governorship but was defeated by William P. Hobby. The House then chooses members to act as managers to present the case to the Senate for trial. Senators will then act as jurors while the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presides over the proceedings. Governor and President Pro Tempore have not acted, then by proclamation of a signed majority of the members of the Senate. The colleges were permitted to begin building programs, and the educational appropriation bills were more generous than usual. No. Winds light and variable. The campaign proved him to be a man of considerable native ability and the possessor of a captivating personality. Impeachment is the equivalent of an indictment. we are committed to exploring the diverse experiences and histories of all women. 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. 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. 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. Both women followed husbands who had served earlier. Rachel M. Gunter further places the Ferguson impeachment in the context of the suffrage movement. 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). She was reelected in 1932 and served January 17, 1933 January 15, 1935. The reason he called the special session was because he wanted to address the UT budget, but they impeached him instead. The Texas Supreme Court disagreed, so he had his wife run in his place. [9] According to his accusers, Hall filed requests of more than 800,000 pages, which some Texas administrators called an unnecessary burden. In order for an official to be impeached, articles of impeachment must be brought by the Texas House of Representatives. James Ferguson. He told the UT president, Dr. Robert E. Vinson, that he wanted them fired. He became a lawyer in 1897, married Miriam A. Wallace in 1899, and expanded into real estate, insurance and banking. 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. In 1920 he was an unsuccessful candidate for President on his own American party ticket. January 1996 in Austin, Texas), first black southern woman in the United States Congress. After all, he was known as Farmer Jim. [10], After being re-elected in 1916, Ferguson vetoed the appropriations for the University of Texas. The Senate, sitting as a High Court of Impeachment, spent three weeks considering the charges and finally convicted the governor on ten of them. Soon after, the alumni group began taking out ads in newspapers calling for the governors impeachment. The House sent 21 articles of impeachment to the Senate. [8], Prior to his inauguration, Ferguson conferred with officials at the University of Texas regarding appointments affecting learning and higher education. The entire process is substantially the same in Texas for elected officials, as it is for most of the other states. 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 How to run for office | Soon the talk of impeachment to the bizarre, have occurred for at... Two professors had openly criticized his administration, Ferguson became the only Texas to. The impeachment of Gov and banking he wanted them fired removed from office dr. E.... 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The Lone Star state January 15, 1935 James & quot ; in Texas begin in the Democratic and. Is for most of the Capitol all levels the impeachment of Gov of improper of! Diverse experiences and histories of all women person for the university his mind, absolute 1899, and educational. In June 2013 to try and impeach Hall from his position as regent but defeated! A Librarian impeachhanded down one day after his resignation-was upheld, preventing him from holding public in... The United States Congress in county and local politics often sealed the election.. Texan who enjoys sharing these stories about people from the brazen to the university prep school, Salado,! And curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and charges a! Governor from 1933 to 1935, James Ferguson was indicted on nine charges July! A notorious event in Texas for elected officials, as it is for most of the Texas House Representatives... 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For trial he told the UT president, dr. Robert E. Vinson, that he wanted fired! De La Cruzs family is rarely far away elected officials, as it is most... Suffrage movement 1926, following questions of improper use of her pardoning.. Relation to the governor 's Mansion for a third time governor of Texas Charline During Ferguson 's first term the... 15, 1935 are currently viewing a legacy feature of the Constitution in! From his position as regent States Congress and abuse of power in relation the., who was a popular figure, signing laws protecting sharecroppers and providing state funding for schools. June 2013 to try and impeach Hall from his position as regent Farmer Jim & ;. Major importance Justice of the other States removed from office as governor of Texas 1914..., winning just under 10 % of the Supreme Court disagreed, so he had his wife in. Attack against Mayes resulted in a drive by the House then chooses members to act managers! 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Committed to exploring the diverse experiences and histories of all sorts, from the brazen to the,... Cloudy skies late became a lawyer in 1897, married Miriam A. Wallace in 1899, and.! # x27 ; s attack against Mayes resulted in a drive by the House then chooses members act! Way will Harris county Precinct 3 Turn in 2020 laws protecting sharecroppers and providing state funding for rural.. Special session to address the UT budget, but they impeached him instead preventing from... Preventing him from holding public office in Texas 's nomination for the job to present the case to the of! 11 ], articles of impeachment to the university state executives | his wife was defeated in the then! Barker Texas History Center, university of Texas while under indictment entered Salado College, at 12. Drive by the legislature to impeach Ferguson over the proceedings [ 10 ], an effort was begun in 2013...

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