Theodore Runyon (October 29, 1822 – January 27, 1896) was a United States politician, diplomat, and

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...

in the

New Jersey Militia The New Jersey Line was a formation within the Continental Army. A "New Jersey Line" was the quota of numbered infantry regiments that the Congress of the Confederacy assigned to New Jersey at various times. New Jersey Line, 1776 The first two ...

, serving with the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

at the

Battle of First Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas

. Runyon was a lawyer before the Civil War and mayor of

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

, a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in command of the

New Jersey National Guard The New Jersey Army National Guard consists of more than 6,000 Citizen-Soldiers. The New Jersey Army National Guard is currently engaged in multiple worldwide and homeland missions. Units have deployed to Iraq, Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Germ ...

until 1873, first president of the Manufacturers' National Bank of Newark,

chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

for 14 years and, between 1893 and 1896, envoy and later ambassador to Germany.

Early life

Theodore Runyon was born in

Somerville, New Jersey Somerville is a borough and the county seat of Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.New Jer ...

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Bez ...

descent. He was a direct descendant of Vincent Rongion (1644–1713), a Huguenot who was born in

Poitiers, France Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...

and settled in New Jersey. Theodore Runyon graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, where he helped found

Scroll and Key The Scroll and Key Society is a secret society, founded in 1842 at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut. It is one of the oldest Yale secret societies and reputedly the wealthiest. The society is one of the reputed "Big Three" societies ...

Society. Runyon was admitted to the New Jersey bar in 1846 and began the practice of law in

Military service

As a brigadier general in the New Jersey militia, Runyon commanded the Fourth Division of the

Army of Northeastern Virginia An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

in June and July 1861.Eicher, John H., and

David J. Eicher David John Eicher (born August 7, 1961) is an American editor, writer, and popularizer of astronomy and space. He has been editor-in-chief of ''Astronomy'' magazine since 2002. He is author, coauthor, or editor of 23 books on science and American ...

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . p. 465 Davis, William C. ''Battle at Bull Run: A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1977. . p. 76 The division was composed of 90-day New Jersey volunteer regiments and new 3-year New Jersey volunteer regiments which had been organized for less than a month.Detzer, David. ''Donnybrook: The Battle of Bull Run, 1861''. New York: Harcourt, 2004. . p. 132 Union Army commander,

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Irvin McDowell Irvin McDowell (October 15, 1818 – May 4, 1885) was a career American army officer. He is best known for his defeat in the First Battle of Bull Run, the first large-scale battle of the American Civil War. In 1862, he was given command ...

held this division in reserve during the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassascites 18,052 Confederate men and 37 guns engaged. McDowell's plan was to move westward in three columns and make a diversionary attack on ...

and they were not engaged in the battle. Although the Historians John and David Eicher show Runyon in charge of the division and as mustered out of the volunteers on July 31, 1861, they do not show him with a formal Union Army commission. Also, neither the 1906 War Department list of Union Army generals nor Historian Ezra J. Warner's ''Generals in Blue'' show Runyon as a commissioned Union Army general rather than or in addition to a New Jersey militia general. Runyon held his position as division commander as a State militia or short-term volunteer general, not as a formally commissioned Union Army general. On February 25, 1862, Runyon was appointed a

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

major general in the New Jersey militia. After the war, he was elected a companion of the Pennsylvania Commandery of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or simply the Loyal Legion is a United States patriotic order, organized April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Army. The original membership was composed of members ...

- a military society of officers of the Union armed forces and their descendants.

Fort Runyon Fort Runyon was a timber and earthwork fort constructed by the Union Army following the occupation of northern Virginia in the American Civil War in order to defend the southern approaches to the Long Bridge as part of the defenses of Washington, ...

, named in Theodore Runyon's honor, was a

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including Beam (structure), beams and plank (wood), planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as fini ...

and

earthwork Earthworks may refer to: Construction *Earthworks (archaeology), human-made constructions that modify the land contour *Earthworks (engineering), civil engineering works created by moving or processing quantities of soil *Earthworks (military), mi ...

fort constructed by the Union Army following the occupation of northern

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography an ...

in order to defend the southern approaches to the Long Bridge as part of the defenses of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

during that war.

Later career

From 1864 to 1866, Runyon served as mayor of Newark as a Democrat. He had previously been city attorney and city counsel. Runyon was appointed

in charge of the

, and served in this post until 1873. He was the first president of the Manufacturers' National Bank of Newark until he became

of New Jersey, an office he held for 14 years. In 1893, Runyon became envoy and later ambassador to Germany, where he died in 1896. He is buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Newark, New Jersey.

Notes

References

* Davis, William C. ''Battle at Bull Run: A History of the First Major Campaign of the Civil War''. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1977. . * Detzer, David. ''Donnybrook: The Battle of Bull Run, 1861''. New York: Harcourt, 2004. . * Eicher, John H., and

, ''Civil War High Commands.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2001. . * United States War Department, The Military Secretary's Office
''Memorandum Relative to the General Officers in the Armies of the United States During the Civil War, 1861-1865'' (Compiled from Official Records.)
1906. Retrieved August 5, 2010. * Warner, Ezra J. ''Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders.'' Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1964. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Runyon, Theodore Union militia generals People of New Jersey in the American Civil War Mayors of Newark, New Jersey New Jersey Democrats Ambassadors of the United States to Germany Burials at Mount Pleasant Cemetery (Newark, New Jersey) Yale University alumni 1822 births 1896 deaths Politicians from Somerville, New Jersey American people of French descent 19th-century American diplomats 19th-century American politicians