Neal was born near Clayton , Texas , and was the daughter of William Lafayette and Martha ( Gholston ) Neal , who had both come to Texas from Georgia in search of better opportunities . Second of four children , she lived in nearby Carthage for much of her life . It was in Carthage that she had her first encounter with state politics , when Governor of Texas John Ireland came to speak in 1885 or 1886 ; she would later speak of the impression which his visit had made on her . She attended Sam Houston State Teachers College , but did not graduate . She spent a short time teaching in her native Panola County and in Fort Worth before returning to Carthage in 1903 ; even so , she retained an interest in education for the remainder of her life . Her return was due primarily to the failing health of her mother . Her father had purchased the local weekly newspaper , the '' Texas Mule '' , and she became its editor and publisher . She renamed it the '' East Texas Register '' and helmed it until its sale in 1911 . She was one of the first women in Texas to publish a newspaper , and was known for her progressivism . Neal was heavily active in local civic affairs from early in her career . In 1921 she became the first woman on the board of regents of State Teachers Colleges , remaining in the position until 1927 . She chaired efforts in her district to gain women 's suffrage , and was the first woman in the county to vote . First woman on the State Democratic Executive Committee , she was a delegate to the 1920 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco . She also was a board member of the Texas Society for Crippled Children
1920 Democratic National Convention
1920 Democratic National Convention
Margie Neal