Ebe Walter Tunnell (December 31, 1844 – December 18, 1917) was an American merchant and politician from

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...

, in

Sussex County, Delaware Sussex County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware, on the Delmarva Peninsula. As of the 2020 census, the population was 237,378, making it the state's second most populated county behind New Castle and ahead of Ke ...

. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served in the

Delaware General Assembly The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 representatives. It meets at Legi ...

and as

Governor of Delaware A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

Early life and family

Tunnell was born at Blackwater, Delaware, near Clarksville, now Ocean View, Sussex County, Delaware, son of Nancy J. Long and Stephen Tunnell.family genealogy After attending the public schools at

Milford Milford may refer to: Place names Canada * Milford (Annapolis), Nova Scotia * Milford (Halifax), Nova Scotia * Milford, Ontario England * Milford, Derbyshire * Milford, Devon, a place in Devon * Milford on Sea, Hampshire * Milford, Shro ...

and Lewes, he ran the Blackwater general store started by his grandfather. He moved to Lewes in 1872, and operated a drug and hardware business there and was a member of the Lewes Presbyterian Church. He was one of two Delaware governors who never married.

Governor of Delaware

Tunnell was a member of the

Delaware House of Representatives The Delaware State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal number of constituencies, each of whom is ...

in the 1871/72 session and Clerk of the Peace for Sussex County from 1885 through 1890. He was the unsuccessful Democratic Party candidate for Governor of Delaware in 1894, losing to the Republican Party candidate, Joshua H. Marvil. Two years later, in 1896, he was elected governor, defeating the Union ( Addicks) Republican Party candidate, James R. Hoffecker, and the regular Republican Party candidate John C. Higgins. He served one term as governor from January 19, 1897, until January 15, 1901. The

Delaware Constitution of 1897 The Constitution of the State of Delaware of 1897 is the fourth and current governing document for Delaware state government and has been in effect since June 10 of that year. Executive The Governor is the executive officer of the State, and i ...

, the state's constitution, was written and adopted during his term. It added some representation for

New Castle County New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...

in the Delaware General Assembly, but reduced the representation of Wilmington, which was already the state's most populous part. Among many other changes, it created the office of

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

, allowed governors to be elected to a second term and gave them a legislative veto, reduced judges' terms from life to 12 years, and eliminated the poll tax. It was also during his term that the General Incorporation Law was passed, creating the favorable business environment that has resulted in Delaware becoming the preferred place in the U.S. for companies to incorporate.

Death and legacy

After his term ended, Tunnell returned to Lewes, where he became president of the

Farmers' Bank of Delaware Farmers' Bank of Delaware was the second bank chartered by Delaware. It operated from 1807 until 1981, when it was on the verge of bank failure and was acquired by Girard Bank. At that time, the bank had 28 branches. For most of its existence, the ...

, a director of the

Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Railroad The Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia Railroad (DMVR) is a defunct American railroad that operated passenger service from Broad Street Station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Franklin City, Virginia in the late 19th Century and most of the 20th ...

, and owner of the Delaware Pilot. He died at Lewes, and is buried there in the Lewes Presbyterian Church cemetery.

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1. Members of the Delaware General Assembly took office the first Tuesday of January. State representatives have a two-year term. The governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and has a four-year term.

References

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Images

Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery
''Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover.''

External links

Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States
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Places with more information

Delaware Historical Society The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a statewide historical institution with several buildings, including Old Town Hall and the Delaware History M ...

website
505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161 *

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially known as UD, UDel, or Delaware) is a Statutory college#Delaware, privately governed, state-assisted Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Newark, Delaware, United States. UD offers f ...

Library website
181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965 {{DEFAULTSORT:Tunnell, Ebe W. 1844 births 1917 deaths American Presbyterians People from Lewes, Delaware Democratic Party members of the Delaware House of Representatives Democratic Party governors of Delaware Burials in Sussex County, Delaware People from Ocean View, Delaware County officials in Delaware 19th-century members of the Delaware General Assembly