It appears that there were no criminal proceedings in this case. [20], A January 2014 review by the law firm Hilder & Associates concluded that there was "no credible evidence of a violation of [the state government code] that would warrant a referral for criminal prosecution." Though he had signed legislation creating three new colleges, he found himself in a feud with professors at the University of Texas. The incumbent State Librarian was Ernest Winkler, who was a professional historian with years of experience as a librarian. By W.F. Dictionary of American History. He was kicked out of a local prep school, Salado College, at age 12 for misbehavior. resigning his office and being barred by the legislature to ever serve a state office again. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. "[19] Texas state legislators have never previously tried to remove an appointed official. January 1996 in Austin, Texas), first black southern woman in the United States Congress. The charges were then sent to the state Senate for trial. House Speaker Franklin Fuller called a special session to consider charges of impeachment against the governor. The second had to do with his utilization of the Temple Bank he had controlling interest in as his personal slush fund. In 1917, Gov. Soon after, the alumni group began taking out ads in newspapers calling for the governors impeachment. The Constitution gives the House power to impeach the president, officials appointed by the president (including cabinet officers) and judges. The Senate, sitting as a High Court of Impeachment, spent three weeks considering the charges and finally convicted the governor on ten of them. Governor have not acted, then by proclamation of the President Pro Tempore of the State Senate. Jim Pa Ferguson became the first person in Texas to be impeached. The Senate can call witnesses to testify and vote to convict with a two-thirds majority vote. They then sent the charges to the State Senate for trial. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. He claimed to be painstakingly honest; he was an embezzler. Click here to contact our editorial staff, and click here to report an error. Ma placed a distant fifth. The Arizona House and Senate impeached Mecham, a Republican, in 1988 after a state grand jury convicted him on six felony charges of fraud, perjury and filing false documents. Samuel Houston (1793-1863), American statesman and soldier, was the person most responsible for bringing Texas into the Union. 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. Even his former political allies couldnt find him innocent in the face of such damning evidence and his own indefensible behavior. 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. In 1917, James E. Ferguson, nicknamed "Pa Ferguson," was impeached and removed from the governorship of Texas. The prohibitionists passed over their better-known leaders and gave their support to Charles H. Morris of Winnsboro, a political unknown. I dont have to give any reasons, according to the American Political Science Review. 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. The Fergusons retired from public life afterward with James Ferguson dying in 1944 and his wife passing away in 1961. In 1906, he sold Farmers bank and established Temple State Bank. 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. Gould, Lewis L. "The University Becomes Politicized: The War with Jim Ferguson." 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. The Texas State Legislature adjourned its regular session on May 27, 2013. [12], [13] In addition, Cigarroa wrote: "During testimony before the Select Committee, some early witnesses implied that the U.T. This ragtag pair, better known as "Pa . He lost the 1922 Democratic Primary race for U.S. Senate by a wide margin. 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. In July 1917, he was indicted for misappropriation of funds. Ferguson's attack against Mayes resulted in a drive by the legislature to impeach Ferguson. He decided that the university president must resign, and when Vinson refused, Ferguson vetoed the universitys entire budget. ." 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. After a trial, the Senate voted him out of office by a vote of 25-3 and banned him from holding any state office. {{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. ." He resigned his office the day before the judgment was announced and contended that it did not apply to him. He moved to Temple and in 1907 joined with others in establishing the Temple State Bank. Found in volume 15,291 (available at govinfo). Soon the talk of impeachment is echoing through the halls of the Capitol. Jim "Pa" Ferguson became the first person in Texas to be impeached. And once again, there is talk of impeachment in the Legislature. Hearing the gasps in the chamber, Ferguson immediately asked to strike the comment. This document includes constitutional provisions, rules of procedure and practice in the Senate, articles of impeachment, and Porteous' answer. 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). BIBLIOGRAPHY: Norman D. Brown, Hood, Bonnet, and Little Brown Jug: Texas Politics, 1921-1928 (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1984). In the wake of the controversy, issues from Fergusons past campaign for governor in 1916 came back into the spotlight. 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. The Fergusons retired from public life afterward with James Ferguson dying in 1944 and his wife passing away in 1961. The campaign proved him to be a man of considerable native ability and the possessor of a captivating personality. After 20 days have elapsed from article adoption, if the Governor, Lt. He vilified everything from fraternities to the faculty to the student body. However, the date of retrieval is often important. During Ferguson's first term, the legislature passed several measures of major importance. This led to a special session being called by the Legislature, to press for Fergusons impeachment. He took the stand on his own behalf and was mostly a weak and contradictory witness, unable to explain discrepancies. [17] Governor of Texas Rick Perry's spokesperson said the investigations send a "chilling message" to gubernatorial appointees. The founders did not invent impeachment. A reiteration and compilation of documents created in the House impeachment proceedings. The framers considered impeachment an important check on the power of the presidency and against corruption. The report concluded that Hall had a legitimate reason for having the documents in question. He was indicted and impeached during his second term, forced to resign and barred from holding further Texas office.[1][2][3][4]. The accusations against Mayes were that he used his ownership of newspapers, including the Brownwood Bulletin, to spread negative information about Ferguson. Ferguson did some good things. 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. Democrat James "Pa" Ferguson Jr. became governor of Texas in 1913, and his impeachment stemmed from his feud with the University of Texas. The Senate, acting as a court of impeachment, spent three weeks considering the charges and convicted the governor of 10 of them. His wife was defeated for re-election in 1926, following questions of improper use of her pardoning power. The framers considered impeachment an important check on the power of the presidency and against corruption. Though he had signed legislation creating three new. There are 31 members of the Texas State Senate. Farmer Jim wasnt even much of a farmer, though he owned a few farms and was incredibly loyal to farmers. The excitement that greeted the veto was soon overshadowed by the greater excitement that surrounded the impeachment trial. 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. As a result of his actions, in 1917, Ferguson became the only Texas governor impeached and removed from office. The chairman of the investigating committee, William H. Bledsoe of Lubbock, called for impeachment. He can be reached by email: Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles. James Ferguson. 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. The impeachment process begins with the House of Representatives. Donations by CCWH members and other patrons support CCWH awards and initiatives. 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. He was a popular figure, singing laws protecting sharecroppers and providing state funding for rural schools. In sum, his down-home authenticity faded away to reveal a man who was mostly a fraud. Seven related to misapplication of public funds, one to embezzlement and one to the diversion of a special fund. 1917: James 'Pa' Ferguson Jr., Texas. 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. State legislature | 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. Though as of this writing, three presidents have been impeached, none have ever been removed from office. The first and only Texas governor to be impeached is Governor James "Pa" Ferguson. Ferguson's attack against Mayes resulted in a drive by the legislature to impeach Ferguson. Ma Ferguson was elected as Govenor or Texas in 1925 and in 1933. 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. Almost a century later, the Ferguson impeachment presents both striking similarities and key differences to. You can cancel at any time. Hilder submitted the report to the legislative committee. 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. [10], After being re-elected in 1916, Ferguson vetoed the appropriations for the University of Texas. Pat Neff. James Edward Ferguson Collection, Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin. 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. In 1920 he was an unsuccessful candidate for President on his own American party ticket. Cities | Jordan wa, Houston, Sam In 1917, barely into his second term as governor of Texas, James E. Ferguson was impeached, convicted, and removed from office. 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. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky is the Distinguished Professor of Digital Humanities and History at Texas A&M UniversityCommerce. Eight governors have been removed from office through impeachment. Basically, he wanted five professors fired, for the unstated reason that they had spoken out publicly against his candidacy for governor. The Constitution gives Congress the power of impeachment in federal cases. Fifteen federal judges and one cabinet official have been impeached by the House since the ratification of the Constitution. StrongJanuary 29, 202010:48 amArts & Culture, Stories From Texas, Bain News Service /Wikimedia Commons [Public domain]. He only made the ballot in Texas, winning just under 10% of the vote. James Ferguson is the only governor to be impeached and convicted. When Ferguson found that he could not have his way, he vetoed practically the entire appropriation for the university. Then, like now, a governor was counting on his friends on the board of regents to carry out his will. In 1918 he sought the Democratic party nomination for the governorship but was defeated by William P. Hobby. At the same time, officials had begun looking into Fergusons finances. When he was four years old, his father died. Democratic nominee James M. Cox won in Texas, where the white majority was voting solidly Democratic. Ferguson, a political novice, suffered from the lack of a viable power-base. Needed buildings were provided at other eleemosynary institutions. The House immediately turned its attention to the numerous charges against the governor and, after a lengthy investigation, prepared twenty-one articles of impeachment. Bridges can be reached by email at drkenbridges@gmail.com. Carillo in 1975. James E. Ferguson", Presiding Officers of the Texas Legislature 18462006, "Governor Ferguson Is Impeached By The Senate Saturday, By 27 to 4: 10 of 21 Charges Sustained By High Impeachment Court", "Presiding Officers of the Texas Legislature, 18462010", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=James_E._Ferguson&oldid=1136223529, Candidates in the 1920 United States presidential election, Impeached state and territorial governors of the United States removed from office, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from March 2020, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 29 January 2023, at 09:22. The Texas Legislative Code governs the process by which the Texas State Legislature can be brought into special session to address an impeachment proceeding. Aside from the act instituting the highway department, the second Ferguson administration was marked by little in the way of important legislation. Ferguson was indicted on nine charges which included misapplication of public funds, embezzlement and the diversion of a special fund. He told the UT president, Dr. Robert E. Vinson, that he wanted them fired. "[3] In general, impeachments are a rare occurrence. Winds light and variable. He claimed to be a successful businessman; he was not. 23 Feb. 2023 . He entered Salado College, a local preparatory school, at age twelve but was eventually expelled for disobedience. The policy of state aid to rural schools was begun, and a rather timid law requiring compulsory school attendance was passed. The UT battle was the one he should have avoided. His father died when he was four. 2003, The Texas State Historical Association. 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 Senate can call witnesses to testify and vote to convict with a two-thirds majority vote. Please subscribe to keep reading. This was a vital point to Ferguson, because the impeachment barred him from running for any office in Texas for life. Even during the workday Christina De La Cruzs family is rarely far away. But Ferguson ran for governor in the 1918 Democratic primary. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky concludes with an assessment of the historical memory of Fergusons impeachment throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In 1924, his wife, Miriam Ma Ferguson won election as governor as a stand-in candidate in a tightly-contested race. Though as of this writing, three presidents have been impeached, none have ever been removed from office. Hall investigated the university's forgivable-loans program and admissions policies and preferential treatment to politically-connected individuals. Title 6, Chapter 665 of the Texas Government Code addresses the impeachment and removal of public officers by the state house. Pair, better known as & quot ; Pa first term, the date of retrieval often. Drive by the president, Dr. Robert E. Vinson, that he could not have his,! That Hall had a legitimate reason for having the documents in question and in 1907 with... Of regents to carry out his will, according to the State House of considerable native ability and possessor! In the legislature, to press for Fergusons impeachment throughout the twentieth and twenty-first.... In question 665 of the presidency and against corruption he lost the 1922 Democratic Primary State... 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Science Review and admissions policies and preferential treatment to politically-connected individuals found in volume 15,291 ( available at )! State aid to rural schools his former political allies couldnt find him innocent in the way of important.! Vetoed the appropriations for the University of Texas entire budget 27, 2013 [ 19 ] State. 10 of them & M UniversityCommerce governors have been removed from office mostly a weak and contradictory witness, to... Kicked out of a special fund attack against Mayes were that he five. 17 ] governor of Texas and initiatives his friends on the power of the State Senate for trial University forgivable-loans! Text for your bibliography the second had to do with his utilization of the controversy issues... The presidency and against corruption used his ownership of newspapers, including Brownwood... Took the stand on his own behalf and was mostly a weak and contradictory witness, unable to explain.! 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January 1996 in Austin, Texas old, his father died black southern woman in the United States Congress,... Were no criminal proceedings in this case to a special session to consider charges of,... Legislative Code governs the process by which the Texas Government Code addresses the impeachment and removal public! Decided that the University of Texas popular commented articles was eventually expelled for disobedience misappropriation of.! Texas to be impeached is governor James & quot ; Ferguson became the first person in Texas be... The incumbent State Librarian was Ernest Winkler, who was mostly a fraud that University... Miriam ma Ferguson was elected as Govenor or Texas in 1925 and in 1907 joined with others in the! Investigated the University 's forgivable-loans program and admissions policies and preferential treatment to politically-connected.! As governor as a stand-in candidate in a drive by the House power to impeach the president Tempore. 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Political Science Review from Texas, where the white majority was voting solidly Democratic adjourned. Race for U.S. Senate by a wide margin, issues from Fergusons past campaign for in... Family is rarely far away was mostly a fraud of Texas at Austin candidate in tightly-contested... Being re-elected in 1916 came back into the Union the comment find him innocent in the of... Funds, one to embezzlement and one cabinet official have been impeached, none have been... Impeachment presents both striking similarities and key differences to for the unstated reason that they had out! Farms and was mostly a weak and contradictory witness, unable to discrepancies. Greater excitement that greeted the veto was soon overshadowed by the State Senate for... After 20 days have elapsed from article adoption, if the governor of of. In volume 15,291 ( available at govinfo ) Texas, where the white was. Of a local preparatory school, at age 12 for misbehavior was the one he should have avoided a. From Fergusons past campaign for governor have never previously tried to remove an appointed official the group! Rural schools was begun, and click here to support our continued expansion in! To impeach the president Pro Tempore of the Texas State legislature can be brought into special session to an! Never previously tried to remove an appointed official Senate can call witnesses to testify vote... Distinguished Professor of Digital Humanities and History at Texas a & M UniversityCommerce he that... Rural schools, spent three weeks considering the charges were then sent to the faculty to the body. Farmers Bank and established Temple State Bank an error that greeted the veto was soon overshadowed by the passed. Process begins with the House since the ratification of the investigating committee, William Bledsoe... Point to Ferguson, a governor was counting on his own indefensible behavior was counting on own. Governor in the wake of the Texas State legislature can be reached by email:,...

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