MIRIAM FERGUSON
The 1924 Texas gubernatorial election was hotter than a firecrack er lit at both ends. Eight candidates vied for the democratic party’s nomination. They included Thomas D. Barton, incumbent Adjunct General of Texas; Joe Burkett, incumbent member of the Texas Senate; Vinson Allen Collins, former State Senator and member of the Ku Klux Klan; Lynch Davidson, former Lieutenant Governor of Texas; Thomas Whit- field Davidson, incumbent Lieu tenant Governor of Texas; George W. Dixon, lawyer and prison reform activist; Walter Edward Pope, former member of the Texas House of Representatives; Felix D. Robertson, incumbent Dallas County District Judge and member of the Ku Klux Klan; and Miriam A. Ferguson, former First Lady of Texas.
Miriam, affectionately known as “Ma,” was the wife of former Governor, James E. Ferguson, known as “Pa.” James ran a successful campaign for governor in 1914. While he was against prohibition, he refused to submit his name for endorsement by the anti-prohibitionists. Others who opposed banning alcohol dropped out, leaving him the winner by about 40,000 votes.
