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In the Governor's Shadow

Name: In the Governor's Shadow
Brand: UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS PRESS
SKU: 9781574415537
Price: 76.99 AUD
Availability: InStock

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS PRESSISBN: 9781574415537

The True Story of Ma and Pa Ferguson

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$76.99

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By Carol O'Keefe Wilson
Imprint: UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS PRESS
Release Date: May 29, 2014
Format: HARDBACK
Dimensions: 229 x 152 mm
Weight:
Pages: 400

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In 1915 Governor James Ferguson began his term in Texas bolstered by a wave of voter enthusiasm and legislative cooperation so great that few Texans anticipated anything short of a successful administration. His campaign was based on two key elements: his appeal to the rural constituency and a temporary hiatus from the effects of the continuous Prohibition debate. In reality, Jim Ferguson had shrewdly sold a well-crafted image of himself to Texas voters, carrying into office a bevy of closely guarded secrets about his personal finances, his business acumen, and his relationship with Texas brewers. Those secrets, once unraveled, ultimately led to charges brought against Governor Ferguson via impeachment. Refusing to acknowledge the judgment against him, Ferguson launched a crusade for regained power and vindication. In 1925 he reclaimed a level of political influence and doubled the Ferguson presence in Austin when he assisted his wife, Miriam, in a successful bid for the governorship. That bid had been based largely on a plea for exoneration but soon degenerated into a scandal-plagued administration. In the Governor's Shadow unravels this complex tale, exposing the shocking depth of the Fergusons' misconduct. Often using the Fergusons' own words, Carol O'Keefe Wilson weaves together the incontestable evidence that most of the claims that Jim Ferguson made during his life regarding his conduct, intentions, achievements, and abilities, were patently false.

Carol O'Keefe Wilson is a 1987 graduate of the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, USA, a Texas CPA, and a retired Certified Fraud Examiner.

"In the Governor's Shadow will be significant and the starting source for anyone wanting to study Texas politics during these decades. It is well-written and engaging enough to appeal to popular and academic audiences."--Angela Boswell, author, Her Act and Deed: Women's Lives in a Rural Southern County, 1837-1873 "In the Governor's Shadow is an in-depth expose of back-door deals, disregard for the law, and flagrant misconduct, and its cautionary true tale of these charismatic yet deleterious politicians is filled with crucial lessons that are just as relevant today as they were almost a century ago. Highly recommended."--Midwest Book Review "[Wilson's] writing is concise, smooth, and energetic. . . . The bulk of Wilson's discussion concerns Jim's incessant banking violations, vindictive battle with the faculty at the University of Texas, and ultimately, his impeachment hearings. As a gifted writer, Wilson makes the outcome of the hearings suspenseful. . . . Her singular treatment of the Fergusons is an important contribution to Texas history that will be useful for political historians and a delight for general readers."--Texas Books in Review "As befits a certified public accountant and former fraud examiner, Wilson locates James's insatiable appetite for wealth at the heart of his political ambition, and the monograph excels in making this case. . . . Wilson mines her sources diligently; many heretofore unseen crannies of the Fergusons' political lives now enjoy light."--Journal of Southern History "Jim Ferguson's 1917 impeachment singularized him as the only Texas governor to suffer such a fate. . . . With this comprehensive telling, the Ferguson legacy, long clouded with imprecise controversy and ambiguity, may finally find clarity and closure."--Tex Appeal Magazine "Thanks to Wilson's extensive research and use of newspapers, legislative and court records, the author has compiled the most far-reaching study of Miriam and James Ferguson to date. . . . Wilson has provided a solid, comprehensive study of the Ferguson phenomenon and their gilded influence."--Southwestern Historical Quarterly

In the Governor's Shadow

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