Two Governors Rule in Texas
In 1925, a woman served as governor of Texas... in conjunction with her husband, who had previously been governor but impeached and removed from office. New York Times Magazine profiled the political power couple.
First, the quick backstory. Jim Ferguson was elected governor in 1914, then reelected in 1916. Yet only a few months into his second term, the Texas House impeached him on 21 charges of misusing his office, the Texas Senate convicted him on 10, and he was banned from serving again.
Officially, that is. His wife Miriam ran for governor in 1924 as his surrogate, under a public understanding that "Ma" would serve as the official governor while "Pa" would serve as something of a shadow governor. The gambit worked, and the Texas public elected them.
The journalist Owen P. White wrote:
The executive appointments and the pardon negotiations meted out to Ma, as her part of the work, as her part of the work, and with Jim riding herd on the legislature.
...
If the Fergusons have ever had any arguments over any state measures, or even over any minor details of government, no one has ever heard of it.
What happened next?
At the time, Texas elected its governor every two years. While Ma Ferguson ran for reelection in 1926, she lost the Democratic nomination to state Attorney General Dan Moody, who had investigated her husband in the first place. Though she ran in 1930 and lost yet again, she regained the governor's office one last time in 1932.
(Texas switched to electing their governor every four years starting in 1974 and 1978. Today, only New Hampshire and Vermont still elect their governors every two years.)
The first woman to be elected governor of a state "in her own right," rather than as a stand-in for her husband, was Ella Grasso of Connecticut in 1974, a full 49 years after this article's original publication.
Texas itself would elect its first woman governor "in her own right" when Ann Richards won in 1990.
Earlier this year in January, 13 of the 50 governors were women, an all-time record. That record only stood for a brief time, though, as South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem resigned to become Secretary of Homeland Security. So currently, the number is 12 of the 50 states. (Although a woman also serves as governor of the U.S. territory Guam.)
Two Governors Rule in Texas: "Ma Ferguson Has an Effective Aid in "Jim;" They Divide the Work, Keep the Legislature in Line, and Win Praise Even From Their Political Foes
Published: Sunday, April 5, 1925