Hiram George Runnels (December 15, 1796 – December 17, 1857) was a

U.S. The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

from the states of

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. He was a Democrat who served as the ninth

governor of Mississippi The governor of Mississippi is the head of government of Mississippi and the commander-in-chief of the U.S. state, state's Mississippi National Guard, military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either appro ...

from November 20, 1833, to December 3, 1835.

Biography

Runnels was born in

Hancock County, Georgia Hancock County is a county located in the East Central part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,735. The county seat is Sparta. The county was created on December 17, 1793, and named for John Hancock, a ...

, on December 15, 1796, to Harmon M. and Hester (Hubert) Runnels. A poor frontier family, the Runnels relocated to Mississippi when Hiram was a child. The family descended from English colonists. The Runnels were the first white people to build a house in what would become

Monticello, Mississippi Monticello is a town in and the county seat of Lawrence County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,571 at the 2010 census. Geography Monticello is in central Lawrence County, on the west side of the Pearl River. U.S. Route 84 run ...

. He married Obedience Smith in 1823. Although he received a limited education, Runnels worked as a schoolteacher before serving as the state's auditor and treasurer from 1822 to 1830. Runnels also served as a volunteer in the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

during various conflicts with Native Americans. He was elected in the

Mississippi House of Representatives The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the U.S. state of Mississippi. According to the state constitution of 1890, it is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for ...

in 1830. After an unsuccessful run for governor in 1831, Runnels was elected in May 1833 by only 558 votes. Due to the closeness of the result, he did not take office until the following November. During his tenure as governor, Runnels secured funding for a new statehouse in

Jackson Jackson may refer to: Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson South, Queensland, a locality in the Maranoa Region * Jackson oil field in Durham, ...

, restructured the state militia, signed a ban on the importation of enslaved people for auction and oversaw the formation of sixteen new counties in the land seized from the Chickasaw Indians. A devoted Jacksonian Democrat, Runnels angered his political allies when he refused to order the state militia to support and arm vigilantes who killed and maimed dozens of white and black people suspected of inciting a slave rebellion during the summer of 1835. On the other hand, more conservative voters and Whigs accused Runnels of verbally condoning

vigilantism Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice ...

and preventing the militia and local law enforcement officials from suppressing extralegal violence. Facing criticism from Whigs and many Democrats over the affair, Runnels narrowly lost his reelection bid and left office in November 1835. In 1838, Runnels was appointed president of the newly chartered Union Bank in Jackson, placing him in deeper conflict with other Democrats. When Union Bank collapsed in 1840, the new governor of Mississippi, Alexander McNutt, accused Runnels and others of corruption. Runnels responded by canning the governor in the streets of Jackson. Debates related to the state's

central bank A central bank, reserve bank, national bank, or monetary authority is an institution that manages the monetary policy of a country or monetary union. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central bank possesses a monopoly on increasing the mo ...

ing system also led to a duel between Runnels and

Volney E. Howard Volney Erskine Howard (October 22, 1809 – May 14, 1889) was an American lawyer, statesman, and jurist. Career Volney Erskine Howard was born in Norridgewock, Somerset County, Maine on October 22, 1809, to Richard Howard, a prosperous farmer. He ...

, a director at Union Bank, that same year. Despite these conflicts, Runnels was reelected to represent Hinds County in the state legislature in 1841. Runnels moved to

in 1842 and purchased a cotton plantation located on the

Brazos River The Brazos River ( , ), called the ''Río de los Brazos de Dios'' (translated as "The River of the Arms of God") by early Spanish explorers, is the 14th-longest river in the United States at from its headwater source at the head of Blackwater ...

near

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. He represented Brazoria County during the Convention of 1845. He was elected to the

Texas State Senate The Texas Senate is the upper house of the Texas Legislature, with the Texas House of Representatives functioning as the lower house. Together, they form the state legislature of the state of Texas. The Senate is made up of 31 members, where eac ...

in 1855 but failed to qualify for office. He was elected to the Senate again in 1857 but died before taking office. The Texas Senate passed a memorial resolution in his honor, and Benjamin F. Tankersly was sworn into office in his stead. Runnels died in Houston on December 17, 1857, and was buried in Glenwood Cemetery.

Personality

The son of a man who "would fire up and fight anybody and at any time," Runnels's personality reflected the rough-hewn violence of his frontier upbringing. Described as excitable and volatile, his narrow defeat in the 1835 Mississippi gubernatorial race was partially attributed to an emotional outburst against one of his opponents during which he used some very harsh and unparliamentary language.

Legacy

Runnels County, Texas Runnels County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 9,900. Its county seat is Ballinger. The county was created in 1858 and later organized in 1880. It is named for Hiram G. Runnels, a Tex ...

, was named in his honor. Runnels was the uncle of

Texas Governor The governor of Texas is the head of state of the U.S. state of Texas. The governor is the head of the executive branch of the government of Texas and is the commander-in-chief of the Texas Military Forces. Established in the Constitut ...

Hardin Richard Runnels, and

William R. Baker William Robinson Baker (May 21, 1820 – April 30, 1890) was an American railroad executive and politician who served as the 29th Mayor of Houston from 1880 to 1886. Baker was previously the Director and Vice President of the Houston and Texas ...

, a Texas State Senator was married to Runnels's niece, Hester.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Runnels, Hiram 1796 births 1857 deaths Burials at Glenwood Cemetery (Houston, Texas) Governors of Mississippi Baptists from Mississippi 19th-century American planters People from Hancock County, Georgia Mississippi Democrats Democratic Party governors of Mississippi Members of the Mississippi House of Representatives State auditors of Mississippi People from Hinds County, Mississippi 19th-century Baptists 19th-century members of the Mississippi Legislature