In the Governor’s Shadow: The True Story of Ma and Pa Ferguson

Chapter 24 | The Last Act

221 N ineteen-hundred and forty-two found the nation consumed with the war effort and James Ferguson in a continuing state of failing health. The Fergusons sold the Temple home in August 1941 for $3,200 even though they had paid $4,250 for the double lot in 1907. The cash infusion did little to alleviate the couple’s financial stress. Jim’s poor health forced Ouida to assume the responsibility for oversight of the operations at the dairy and pig farm, a task for which she was admittedly ill-equipped. The financial situation was so daunting that she soon determined that the best course of action was to close the business and submit the remaining assets to auction. From his sickbed, Jim wrote a letter of thanks to his daughter for her efforts, which included a lengthy thesis on how she might take steps to raise heartier swine. This gesture, so indicative of his personality, proved that even from a sickbed, Jim Ferguson was not meant to be a bystander. He was unaware that Ouida had already sold the pigs out of financial necessity.1 Lyndon Johnson was already a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserves when the war intruded upon the safety of his desk job in Washington D. C. He could ill afford to avoid entirely some semblance of combat duty in fulfillment of the campaign promise he had made earlier in the year. Johnson made several successful attempts at delaying deployment by securing non-combative domestic assignments within the Navy until, with the help of President Roosevelt, he finally received orders to deploy to Australia in late May 1942. His duty as part of a three-man team was to survey the war effort in the Southwest Pacific and report those observations to Washington. His short-lived military service was over by mid-July 1942 when President Roosevelt called all national legislators out of active duty. Some chose to resign their offices while others, like Johnson, left the military and returned home.2 Lyndon Johnson was among those who visited the ageing Fergusons in their Austin home, both before and after his short stint in Australia. His friendship Chapter 24 The Last Act 222 In the Governor’s Shadow with the Fergusons might have seemed curious in light of Jim’s efforts to sabotage Johnson’s 1941 campaign in favor of W. Lee O’Daniel, but Johnson was known for befriending previous opponents and was even better known for seeking the advice of older, more experienced politicians. Leaving no stone unturned when it came to gaining a political advantage, Johnson knew better than to discount any potential Ferguson stimulus. From years of observing the pair, he was well aware that the couple’s influence would not die entirely until they did, but it seems he had a less complicated reason for befriending them; he simply liked them. John Connally, Johnson’s close friend, explained the future president’s admiration for Jim Ferguson this way: “There were men who knew how to overcome scandal through the force of their personalities,” explained Connally, “the power of their oratory, [and] the solidity of their political friendships.” To Johnson, Ferguson personified that kind of man.3 Jim’s health had been failing for several years but went into a rapid decline following a stroke in February of 1944. He died the following September 21, at his Austin home under a vigil by Miriam and hired medical assistants. The death certificate listed the cause of death as Parkinson’s disease. Even though Ouida had auctioned off all of the assets of the failing dairy and pig farm in April of that year, there was little money in the Ferguson household. Friends contributed to the funeral expenses and later established a Ferguson Memorial Foundation to ensure the ex-governor received a grand monument suitable for a statesman. The passing of the key political player in the Ferguson family certainly diminished the surviving family members’ interest and involvement in politics, yet this ebb included one far-reaching and enduring statement from the Ferguson family. Ouida Ferguson Nalle’s rendering of the lives of her famous father and mother— titled The Fergusons of Texas, or Two Governors for the Price of One—was published in 1946. The book, which sold for three dollars, did not make a profit for the San Antonio-based publisher, but its subsequent contribution to the inside story of the Ferguson legend has been invaluable to researchers who can...