Phillip Colgan Ferguson (August 15, 1903 – August 8, 1978) was an American politician serving as a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

. Phil Ferguson was born on August 15, 1903, in

Wellington, Kansas Wellington is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,715. History 19th century Wellington was platted in 1871 and named for the Duke of Wellington. It w ...

, to W. M. and May Deems Ferguson. Ferguson attended public schools in Wellington, the Kemper Military School in Missouri, and graduated from the

University of Kansas at Lawrence The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

, A.B., in 1926. He moved to Oklahoma and settled on a ranch near Woodward, Woodward County, working on agricultural pursuits and cattle raising. Ferguson's interest in cattle ranching later earned him a position as a president of the Northwest Cattlemen's Association and vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association. He was also director of the Bank of Woodward, which was owned by his father.

Political career

Ferguson was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the Seventy-fourth and to the two succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1935 – January 3, 1941). As a member of the Committee on Flood Control, he helped to initiate federal involvement in soil conservation and water resources development, establishing programs that constructed reservoirs and planted native grasses in northwestern Oklahoma. In addition, he was on the Census, Elections, Public Buildings and Grounds, Irrigation and Reclamation, Rivers and Harbors, and Agriculture Committees. Following two unsuccessful reelection campaigns in 1940 ( Seventy-seventh Congress) and 1944 (

Seventy-ninth Congress The 79th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1945, ...

), he resumed his former pursuits. He was also an unsuccessful Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 1950 and Republican Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate in

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...

. Ferguson served on the Federal Reserve Board in Oklahoma City and as director of the Farm Credit Administration in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

Military service

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Ferguson was a commissioned

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

from March 2, 1942, to August 1, 1944, receiving the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

Medal. He saw action in the Pacific Theater in Company A, First Battalion, Ninth Marines and in the Marine Raiders Regiment.

Personal life and death

He resided in

Woodward, Oklahoma Woodward is a city in and the county seat of Woodward County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the largest city in a nine-county area. The population was 11,975 at the United States Census. The area was historically occupied by the Kiowa, Coman ...

, until his death in

Tijuana Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, August 8, 1978. Phil Ferguson was cremated, and his ashes were scattered on the Pacific Ocean at

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

Sources

External links

*
Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Ferguson, PhillipPhillip C. Ferguson Collection
an
Photograph Collection
at the

Carl Albert Center The Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center is a nonpartisan institution devoted to teaching and research related to the United States Congress and, more broadly, to strengthening representative democracy through engaged and infor ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Phillip Colgan 1903 births 1978 deaths Oklahoma Republicans United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II United States Marine Corps officers Recipients of the Silver Star Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma 20th-century American politicians People from Wellington, Kansas American cattlemen