
On January 20, 1925, The New York Times ran the headline, “’Ma’ Ferguson Will Take Office Today,” and wrote:
“ Texas is ready to inaugurate Mrs. Myriam Amanda Ferguson as her first woman Governor. From all parts of the State the people are coming and every indication is that tomorrow will be one of the big days in Texas history.”
The paper reported that balloons and ribbons were being sold at the capitol reading “Me for Ma” and “Hurrah for Governor Ma!”
Ferguson, affectionately known as “Ma,” missed the chance to be the first female governor in the United States by a few weeks—Nellie Tayloe Ross of Wyoming was inaugurated on January 5, 1925. Ma Ferguson was born in Bell County, Texas, and attended Salado College as well as Baylor Female College. She married James Edward Ferguson, who was elected governor of Texas in 1915. Her nickname, “Ma,” came from her initials and paired with her husband’s nickname, “Pa.”

Mrs. (”Ma”) Ferguson on Day of Inauguration as First Woman governor of Texas
Pa Ferguson was an unusual figure in Texas politics: an anti-prohibition Democrat during a time when the party dominated the state. He championed workers’ rights and supported farmers. However, his administration was mired in controversy. He was accused of using a spoils system to appoint supporters and benefactors to key roles in higher education and libraries, as well as taking retaliatory action against the University of Texas. In 1917, Pa Ferguson was impeached and removed from office.
Despite his impeachment, the Fergusons remained popular with voters. In 1924, Ma Ferguson ran for the Democratic nomination with her husband’s full support. She pledged to consult him for advice and famously told voters they would get “two governors for the price of one.” Many assumed that a vote for Ma was, in reality, a vote for Pa.
Ferguson won the Democratic nomination and later defeated University of Texas dean George C. Butte in the general election. Although she lost reelection to State Attorney General Dan Moody two years later, she made a political comeback in 1932, riding the Democratic wave led by Franklin D. Roosevelt, and served a second two-year term.
The Fergusons’ political style, nicknamed “Fergusonism,” was a form of populism that included supporting the repeal of prohibition and opposing the Ku Klux Klan. Ma Ferguson passed away in 1961 at the age of 86, leaving behind a complex legacy as Texas’ first female governor.