Miriam Amanda Wallace "Ma" Ferguson (June 13, 1875 – June 25, 1961) was the first female Governor of Texas in 1925. She held office until 1927, later winning another term in 1933 and serving until 1935.
Ferguson was born Miriam Amanda Wallace in Bell County, Texas

Bell County, Texas

Bell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. Bell County was founded in 1850. It is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2000, the county's population was 237,974; in 2010 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that its population had reached...

. She studied at Salado College

Salado College

Salado College was a college in Salado, Texas, United States that operated from 1860 until 1885.Salado College began on October 8, 1859 at a tent meeting at Salado Springs of prominent men from throughout Bell County with a desire to create a high class school in the county. They organized the...

 and Baylor Female College

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor

The University of Mary Hardin–Baylor, generally referred to as UMHB, is a Christian co-educational liberal arts institution of higher learning located in Belton, Texas, United States. Founded by the Republic of Texas in 1845 as "Baylor Female College," it has grown to approximately 2,700 students...

. When she was 24, she married James Edward Ferguson, who was then a lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

.

She got her nickname "Ma" partly from her initials "M. A.", and also because her husband was known as "Pa" Ferguson.
James Ferguson served as Governor of Texas from 1915 to 1917.