Emma Grigsby Meharg

Emma Grigsby Meharg (August 14, 1873 - September 4, 1937) was the first female Secretary of State of Texas, serving from 1925 to 1927 under Governor Miriam A. Ferguson.

Emma Grigsby Meharg
Secretary of State of Texas
In office
January 17, 1925 – January 17, 1927
GovernorMiriam A. Ferguson
Preceded byHenry Hutchings
Succeeded byJane Y. McCallum
Personal details
Born(1873-08-14)August 14, 1873
Lynnville, Tennessee, United States
DiedSeptember 4, 1937(1937-09-04) (aged 64)
Plainview, Texas, United States
Political partyDemocratic
Alma materSouthwestern Normal College

Biography

Emma Grigsby was born to Jasper N. and Mary Amanda (Calvert) Grigsby in Lynnville, Tennessee on August 14, 1873. The family moved to Italy, Texas in 1883, and Emma attended public school there. She later attended Southwestern Normal College, graduating in 1895, and returned to Italy to teach.[1]

She married Samuel W. Meharg of Anniston, Alabama on June 24, 1902. The couple moved to Plainview, Texas, where Samuel became the public school principal and Emma taught.[1]

In 1925, Governor Miriam A. Ferguson appointed her as Secretary of State. Ferguson and Grigsby were the first female governor and Secretary of State in Texas. Among her recommendations during the position was the creation of a civil service system for the state; she also oversaw the restoration and cataloguing of state historical records. She also recommended that position be modified from how it was set out in the state's 1876 constitution, including a higher salary and being changed from an appointed position to an elected position.[1][2]

Meharg served on the board of the Texas Technological College from 1932 to 1937. She died in Plainview on September 4, 1937, and was buried there.[1]

References
  1. "MEHARG, EMMA GRIGSBY". The Handbook of Texas. Texas State Historical Association. June 15, 2010.
  2. Dalpe, Tiffany E. (2003). "Meharg, Emma Grigsby (1873-1937)". In Bakken, Gordon Moris; Farrington, Brenda (eds.). Encyclopedia of Women in the American West. SAGE Publications. pp. 203–204. ISBN 9781452265261.
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