At 16, he left home and drifted through the states of the American West, working successively in a vineyard, a mine, a barbed wire factory, and at a grain ranch.

"[12] Prior to his inauguration, Ferguson conferred with officials at the University of Texas regarding appointments affecting learning and higher education.

[13] According to historian Dan Utley, Ferguson planned to use state appointments as part of a spoils system to reward his political supporters.

He tapped Reverend Allan Ferguson Cunningham to serve as State Librarian, despite his lack of training or experience in the field.

The chair of the State Library and Historical Commission, Eugene C. Barker, heard talk about these plans and intervened in support of Winkler.

Other high-profile librarians voiced their support of Winkler, as did the son of an ex-governor, and a chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas.

[14] Further reforms were realized during Ferguson's second term, including a law establishing Mothers' pensions[15] and additional labor legislation.

[17] The accusations against Mayes were that he used his ownership of newspapers, including the Brownwood Bulletin, to spread negative information about Ferguson.

Nationally, Ferguson was also surpassed by three other unsuccessful candidates: Though Ferguson was unsuccessful in the presidential election, the American Party did elect four members to the Texas House of Representatives; Walter J. Kveton of Sealy, Otto F. Menking of Fayetteville, Henry Julius Neinast of Burton, and John Henry Wessels of La Grange.

[25] On January 28, 1922, Ferguson dissolved the American Party in order to run for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in the 1922 election.

[24] Ferguson failed at his bid for the United States Senate in 1922, losing in the Democratic runoff election to Earle Bradford Mayfield.

In 1924, unable to run under his own name, Mr. Ferguson, known as "Pa", ran his wife's campaign for the governorship against Judge Felix Robertson, the candidate endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan.

Two years later they lost a reelection bid amid new scandals concerning excessive pardons and political patronage abuses.