why was james ferguson impeached
why was james ferguson impeached
Ferguson was so enraged by the demonstrators that he got into a yelling match with one of the student protestors and had to be restrained from climbing out of his window to fight them, according to The Impeachment of Jim Ferguson, a 1983 book by Bruce Rutherford. This independence made him critical of existing policies, earning him sufficient popular support to win office, but also the consequent wrath of the establishment that could have protected him from investigation. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky concludes with an assessment of the historical memory of Fergusons impeachment throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Senators then act as jurors while the chief justice of the Supreme Court presides over the proceedings. Before the process could be completed, Ferguson resigned from office, contending that the legislative action against him was a kangaroo court. He was impeached in 1917 and removed from office. Proclamation of the speaker following the submission of a written petition signed by at least 50 members of the House. He showed up most every day to his own trial, invited or not, with two armed Texas Rangers as escorts. Some legislators justified the impeachment on the grounds that Hall did not disclose several lawsuits that he was involved in when he originally completed his Regent background check. 100% remote. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. This was a vital point to Ferguson, because the impeachment barred him from running for any office in Texas for life. The conviction forbade Ferguson to hold "any office of honor, trust, or profit" in 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. He started his own newspaper that fall, Ferguson Forum, to promote his views that the impeachment was illegitimate. [9] According to his accusers, Hall filed requests of more than 800,000 pages, which some Texas administrators called an unnecessary burden. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky and Bruce A. Glasrud, eds. Encyclopedia.com. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky is the Distinguished Professor of Digital Humanities and History at Texas A&M UniversityCommerce. In 1917, barely into his second term as governor of Texas, James E. Ferguson was impeached, convicted, and removed from office. Hall investigated the university's forgivable-loans program and admissions policies and preferential treatment to politically-connected individuals. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. He told the UT president, Dr. Robert E. Vinson, that he wanted them fired. Please subscribe to keep reading. 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." The Board of Regents hired the firm to review whether Hall may have violated any federal privacy laws in his handling of student information. In 1924, his wife, Miriam Ma Ferguson won election as governor as a stand-in candidate in a tightly-contested race. After he returned to Texas, he studied law in Bell County and was admitted to the bar. The Constitution gives the House power to impeach the president, officials appointed by the president (including cabinet officers) and judges. Jessica Brannon-Wranosky and Bruce A. Glasrud have brought together top scholars to shine a light on this unique chapter in Texas history. Dictionary of American History. This is simply not true. In the United States legal tradition, impeachment is comparable to an indictment in a criminal court. The framers considered impeachment an important check on the power of the presidency and against corruption. The legislature passed generous appropriation bills, and the ad valorem tax rate reached the constitutional maximum of thirty-five cents. Barred from state office, he ran for president in 1920 on the American Party ticket. Early in his second term the governor became involved in a serious quarrel with the University of Texas. the lieutenant governor In retaliation, Ferguson vetoed the entire appropriation for the university. | Though no Texas official has been impeached and removed from office at the state level since Ferguson, Texas politics has hardly been scandal-free. The excitement that greeted the veto was soon overshadowed by the greater excitement that surrounded the impeachment trial. 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. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. James Edward (Pa) Ferguson (1871-1944), Texas governor, son of James Edward and Fannie (Fitzpatrick) Ferguson, was born on August 31, 1871, near Salado, Bell County, Texas. In July 1917, he was indicted for misappropriation of funds. He was kicked out of a local prep school, Salado College, at age 12 for misbehavior. Low 54F. "Ferguson Impeachment [6] They had two daughters: Ouida Wallace Ferguson, and Dorrace Watt Ferguson. The Fergusons beat Robertson and went to the Governor's Mansion for a third time. James Ferguson was brought down by his lunch.Full story: https://www.kvue.com/article/news/. You have permission to edit this article. Eight governors have been removed from office through impeachment. If that is the case, then the state house must follow procedures outlined regarding calling a special session specifically for the process of impeachment. Ferguson did some good things. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Soon the talk of impeachment is echoing through the halls of the Capitol. Ferguson was indicted on nine charges which included misapplication of public funds, embezzlement and the diversion of a special fund. The Legislature then came back into session to consider impeachment, an attempt Ferguson immediately condemned. Jim Ferguson so enormously popular 100 years ago. It appears that neither governor was brought to trial. He was replaced by William P. Hobby after the Texas House of Representatives found him guilty in ten of twenty-one charges. 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). He was a popular figure, singing laws protecting sharecroppers and providing state funding for rural schools. The prohibitionists held an elimination convention and pledged their support to Thomas H. Ball of Houston. He was a popular figure, signing laws protecting sharecroppers and providing state funding for rural schools. This is why I so often say, Im W. F. Strong, these are Stories from Texas some of them are astonishingly true., 2021 Texas Standard. Senators will then act as jurors while the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court presides over the proceedings. He loaned himself so much money that he practically bankrupted his own bank. In order for an official to be impeached, articles of impeachment must be brought by the Texas House of Representatives. The Senate, acting as a court of impeachment, spent three weeks considering the charges and convicted the governor of 10 of them. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. The Senate, sitting as a High Court of Impeachment, spent three weeks considering the charges and finally convicted the governor on ten . After 20 days have elapsed from article adoption, if the Governor, Lt. Has Austin Eliminated All Restrictions On People Experiencing Homelessness? An effort was begun in 2013 to investigate the possibility of impeaching University of Texas Regent Wallace Hall. He gave a speech in his own defense and blamed the charges on that N-word loving senator from the north, Senator Johnson. Not Lyndon. Apply today! He left home at sixteen and wandered for two years through the states of the Far West, where he lived by accepting any employment offered. Only the governor can do that. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Gov. The campaign proved him to be a man of considerable native ability and the possessor of a captivating personality. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Rachel M. Gunter further places the Ferguson impeachment in the context of the suffrage movement. Ferguson was first elected in 1914, and was reelected in 1916. The entire process is substantially the same in Texas for elected officials, as it is for most of the other states. There were . Sam Houston Its president is in the crosshairs. In 1917, Gov. 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 | Prohibition was a major issue in the campaign of 1914, with several aspirants for the governorship on both sides of the question. Ferguson convinced his wife to run one more time in 1940. The Texas Supreme Court disagreed, so he had his wife run in his place. An argument over spending tax dollars, an attempt to silence political opponents, and charges of a kangaroo court.. James Ferguson is the only governor to be impeached and convicted. In 1928, for the first time since 1914, Ferguson was not an active participant in a political campaign, but even then he took some interest in the race for the governorship and gave his support to Louis J. Wardlaw. James Ferguson is the only governor to be impeached and convicted. James "Pa" Ferguson was the Governor of Texas from 1915 to 1917, when he was impeached and convicted on several charges. 2] THE IMPEACHMENT OF JAMES E. FERGUSON I85 there, was immediately converted to the legal profession. She would serve one more term as governor from 1933 to 1935. [2], Impeachments have historically been reserved for cases in which a public official committed a criminal act. Ferguson's attack against Mayes resulted in a drive by the legislature to impeach Ferguson. His wife was defeated for re-election in 1926, following questions of improper use of her pardoning power. 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. Despite the Senate's conviction, Ferguson sought to run for governor again in 1924. Before his impeachment, Texas students paraded from the campus to the Capitol and held a protest rally, complete with the university band, right outside Fergusons office while he met with the regents. The framers considered impeachment an important check on the power of the presidency and against corruption. He was indicted and impeached during his second term, forced to resign and barred from holding further Texas office.[1][2][3][4]. 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. Southwestern Historical Quarterly 86 (October 1982). We help women historians thrive through events, resources, and community. 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. Similarly, the Texas Constitution gives the lower house of the legislature power to impeach judges, the governor and statewide elected officials. Jim Ferguson got in trouble for throwing his weight around, and for using the publics money as a personal slush fund. Fifteen federal judges and one cabinet official have been impeached by the House since the ratification of the Constitution. Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Some have said Hall is being targeted for uncovering evidence of political favoritism with respect to admissions processes.[6]. 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 . 1917: James 'Pa' Ferguson Jr., Texas. He moved to Temple and in 1907 joined with others in establishing the Temple State Bank. The Texas Legislative Code governs the process by which the Texas State Legislature can be brought into special session to address an impeachment proceeding. Interns wanted: Get paid to help ensure that every voter has unbiased election information. Scandals of all sorts, from the brazen to the bizarre, have occurred for decades at all levels. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Copyright 2022 Coordinating Council for Women in History. [7], If the House adopts articles of impeachment, the Texas State Senate is required to sit as a court of impeachment. Only two Texas public officials have been impeached in the state's history. During Ferguson's first term, the legislature passed several measures of major importance. He only made the ballot in Texas, winning just under 10% of the vote. Jim Pa Ferguson became the first person in Texas to be impeached. He later ran anyway, claiming that he had resigned before he was convicted. 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. He was re-elected in 1916. When the Democratic Party dominated the Texas political landscape, winning the Democratic primary often sealed the election results. She won that and the general election,[2] saying that she intended to rely on her husband for advice. 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