Hardin Richard Runnels (August 30, 1820 – December 25, 1873) was a United States politician. He served as the sixth

Governor of Texas The governor of Texas heads the state government of Texas. The governor is the leader of the executive and legislative branch of the state government and is the commander in chief of the Texas Military. The current governor is Greg Abbott, who ...

for one term but notably was the only person to ever defeat

Sam Houston Samuel Houston (, ; March 2, 1793 – July 26, 1863) was an American general and statesman who played an important role in the Texas Revolution. He served as the first and third president of the Republic of Texas and was one of the first two i ...

in a political contest.

Early life

Runnels was born to Hardin D. and Martha "Patsy" Burch (Darden) Runnels on August 30, 1820 in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. His father died in 1842, and his mother moved the family to

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

the same year.Some sources indicate Runnels moved to Texas in 1841. There Runnels established a cotton

plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

in Bowie County along the Red River. Elected to represent Bowie County in the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

in 1847, Runnels remained a member of the state legislature through 1854. During his final session, he was speaker of the Texas House. Runnels was elected

Lieutenant Governor of Texas The lieutenant governor of Texas is the second-highest executive office in the government of Texas, a state in the U.S. It is the second most powerful post in Texas government because its occupant controls the work of the Texas Senate and control ...

in 1855, serving in this capacity during Governor

Elisha M. Pease Elisha Marshall Pease (January 3, 1812 – August 26, 1883) was a Texas politician. He served as the fifth and 13th governor of Texas. Texas Republic A native of Enfield, Connecticut, Pease moved to Mexican Texas in 1835. He soon became active ...

's second term. During his time in the legislature and as Lieutenant Governor, he gained a reputation as a loyal member of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and an advocate for

states' rights In American political discourse, states' rights are political powers held for the state governments rather than the federal government according to the United States Constitution, reflecting especially the enumerated powers of Congress and the ...

. When the Democratic Party held its first convention in Texas in May 1857, Runnels attended as a delegate.

had upset many voters with his pro-Union position, association with the

Know Nothing The Know Nothing party was a nativist political party and movement in the United States in the mid-1850s. The party was officially known as the "Native American Party" prior to 1855 and thereafter, it was simply known as the "American Party". ...

s during 1855, and his vote against the

Kansas–Nebraska Act The Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854 () was a territorial organic act that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. It was drafted by Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas, passed by the 33rd United States Congress, and signed into law by ...

. As a result, party leaders blocked Houston's nomination for governor, and Runnels was selected instead. Houston, sensing he was unlikely to be reappointed to the U.S. Senate, announced he was running for governor as an independent on May 12, 1857. While states' rights were the primary issue, the resulting campaign quickly became a contest of personalities. Voter anger over Houston's recent political positions continued until election day, and Runnels became the only person to defeat Houston in an election by a vote of 38,552 to 23,628.

Governor of Texas

During Runnels' administration, primary concerns were the slavery issue and safety of settlers in the western frontier. On the slavery issue he signed a bill into law allowing a free Negro to return to slavery by selecting a new master. in doing so, he attempted to force the state legislature to officially support the reestablishment of slavery. In more general support of southern issues, Runnels repeatedly stated Texas might

secede Secession is the withdrawal of a group from a larger entity, especially a political entity, but also from any organization, union or military alliance. Some of the most famous and significant secessions have been: the former Soviet republics l ...

if needed. On the issue of frontier security, the governor commissioned Colonel

John "Rip" Ford John Salmon Ford (May 26, 1815 – November 3, 1897), better known as "Rip" Ford, was a member of the Republic of Texas Congress and later of the State Senate, and mayor of Brownsville, Texas. He was also a Texas Ranger, a Confederate colonel, d ...

as senior captain of the Texas Rangers on January 27, 1858. Ford led the Antelope Hills expedition into the

Comancheria The Comancheria or Comanchería (Comanche: Nʉmʉnʉʉ Sookobitʉ, 'Comanche land') was a region of New Mexico, west Texas and nearby areas occupied by the Comanche before the 1860s. Historian Pekka Hämäläinen has argued that the Comancheria ...

, winning the Battle of Antelope Hills in May. Later in the year, the Rangers fought an inconclusive battle in the

Rio Grande Valley The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. The ...

against Mexican bandit

Juan Cortina Juan Nepomuceno Cortina Goseacochea (May 16, 1824 – October 30, 1894), also known by his nicknames Cheno Cortina, the Red Robber of the Rio Grande and the Rio Grande Robin Hood, was a Mexican rancher, politician, military leader, outlaw a ...

. Despite these efforts, the Rangers failed to secure peace on the frontier. Runnels advocated for reductions in the level of support the state provided railroad companies, arguing that the railroads had been slow in fulfilling their contractual obligations. The Democratic party renominated Runnels for governor during the election of 1859, with Houston again running against him. Runnels, however, received most of the blame for continuing frontier depredations, while Houston had regained his popularity. As a result, Runnels was defeated by Houston by a vote of 33,375 to 27,500.Hendrickson, p. 71

Later life

After leaving office, Runnels returned to his home and never again ran for elected office. He remained active in politics, serving as a member of both the 1861 Secession Convention and the 1866 Constitutional convention. Runnels died on December 25, 1873, and was buried in a family plot in Bowie County. His remains were re-interred in a state cemetery in Austin in 1929.

Footnotes

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Runnels, Hardin Richard 1820 births 1873 deaths Democratic Party governors of Texas Lieutenant Governors of Texas Speakers of the Texas House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the Texas House of Representatives People from Bowie County, Texas 19th-century American politicians Runnels County, Texas