1. Outline I.Governor Pat Neff II.The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s III.Governor Miriam Ferguson IV.Governor Dan Moody

2. Pat Neff (I) Governor from 1920-24 Worked for creation of State Parks System & Texas Tech Univ. Supported state highway building Proposed reforms in ed., prisons, etc., but got little from the Legislature

3. Pat Neff (II) A Strong “dry” Baptist; fought hard to enforce Prohibition Neff failed to criticize KKK efforts outside the law to enforce Prohibition

4. Ku Klux Klan (I) 2 nd Klan formed in 1915 Anti-black, anti-immigrant, & anti-“modern” (dress/sexual behavior/movies/science/etc.) Ultra-patriotic + strongly pro-Prohibition

5. Ku Klux Klan (II) A nat’l group, not just southern Main support from rural residents + urban residents from rural areas Dallas = Klan stronghold

6. Ku Klux Klan (III) Klansmen often went overboard in vigilantism Resorted to whippings or worse to “maintain order” (80 whipped in 1921 alone)

7. Ku Klux Klan (IV) Anti-Klan backlash in Texas began in 1922 Result of brutal beating of a white woman suspected of adultery Many Texas newspapers openly condemned the Klan for its methods

8. Hiram Wesley Evans Dallas dentist; became nat’l Klan leader in 1922 Organized boycotts vs. anti- Klan newspapers/advertisers Led the Klan’s move into state politics Earle Mayfield chosen to be Texas Klan candidate for the US Senate in 1922

9. James Ferguson Mayfield’s opponent; claimed his banning not applicable to US Senate Rallied anti-Klan & “wets”; Mayfield rallied the Klan & “drys” Mayfield won close Dem. primary & soon elected to the US Senate

10. Felix Robertson In 1924, the Klan supported Felix Robertson for governor, who supported: End to foreign immigration & foreign language newspapers in Texas Prohibition, white supremacy, & the USA

11. James Ferguson (II) Challenged Robertson; claimed his banning not legal b/c he resigned before convicted Texas Supreme Court ruled otherwise, leading to the candidacy of...

12. Miriam A. “Ma” Ferguson 49 yr. old mother w/ no previous political experience Jim spoke for her on the campaign trail Pro-rural schools, anti- Klan, anti-Prohibition, & anti-UT

13. Miriam A. “Ma” Ferguson Won close run-off Dem. primary & gen. election 1 st woman elected TX gov. & 1 st (tied) in US history Jim Ferguson ran her administration

14. Mounting Criticism of the Fergusons Generous pardon policies, esp. for Prohibition offenses Solicitation for ads in Ferguson- run journal (no ads bought = no business w/ the state gov’t) Accusations of improper awarding of highway contracts

15. Dan Moody (I) 33 yr. old state Attorney General Elected after prosecuting high-profile Klan cases Investigated wrongdoing w/ contracts by the Ferguson-appointed State Highway Commission

16. Dan Moody (II) Proved that Ferguson supporters given contracts even when outbid + poor work done Jim Ferguson accused the “Boy Wonder” of trying to embarrass his wife & take her job – he was! Moody ran an anti-Klan & anti-Ferguson campaign

17. Dan Moody (III) Thumped “Ma” by 2-to-1 in Dem. primary runoff Easily won gen. election to become youngest TX gov. Sought many reforms, but got little from the Legislature during 2 terms

18. Key Terms/Concepts Pat Neff Ku Klux Klan Hiram Wesley Evans Earle Mayfield James Ferguson Felix Robertson Miriam A. “Ma” Ferguson State Highway Commission Dan Moody