Born in Lynnville, Tenn., Emma Grigsby Meharg moved to Texas with her parents, Jasper N. and Mary A. (Calvert) Grigsby, in 1883. She graduated from college, became a teacher, and married Samuel W. Meharg. She came to Plainview in 1902, where she and her husband were educators. She helped organize clubs, First Presbyterian Church, U.S.A, and civic endeavors. She had a daughter and a son. In 1925, she won international renown as Texas' first woman Secretary of State, appointed by the first woman Governor, Miriam A. Ferguson.