Ma Ferguson on Mother's Day

What better day to celebrate Texas' first female governor than Mother's Day? Miriam "Ma" Ferguson made Texas history in 1924 when she won the governorship using the slogan "Me for Ma, and I ain't got a durned thing against Pa." "Pa" was her husband, the former Texas governor James "Pa" Ferguson, who was impeached in 1917 and no longer allowed to hold public office in Texas. While running for the governorship, "Ma" Ferguson told folks that they were getting two governors for the price of one.

At that time the Ku Klux Klan was extremely powerful, and Klan-backed candidates had experienced much success at the local level. "Ma" Ferguson's opponent was a Klan-supported candidate by the name of George C. Butte, and "Ma" told voters that they had a choice between electing "the bonnet or the hood." Voters overwhelmingly supported the bonnet, and she became the second female governor in US history.

It is claimed that Ferguson once said that "[i]f English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it is good enough for the children of Texas." While the line certainly makes for a good laugh, Ferguson did not actually say it.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mamas out there! And please let your babies grow up to be cowboys!