Pearl Frances Runyon (1913 – March 17, 1989) was an American politician who served as

Kentucky State Treasurer The Kentucky State Treasurer is elected every four years along with the governor and other statewide officials. The treasurer, who can serve two terms, acts as the state's chief elected fiscal officer.Kentucky TreasureWebsite/ref> The salary is $1 ...

from 1949 to 1956. She was a 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 ...

Biography

Pearl Frances Runyon was born in 1913, in

Belfry, Kentucky Belfry is an unincorporated community in Pike County, Kentucky. Belfry is located on U.S. Route 119, northeast of Pikeville. Belfry has a post office with ZIP code 41514, which opened on February 26, 1921. The origin of the name "Belfry" is o ...

. She first became involved in politics at the age of 8, when her father, a merchant, lumber dealer, and building contractor who was active in politics, arranged for her to

babysit Babysitting is temporarily caring for a child. Babysitting can be a paid job for all ages; however, it is best known as a temporary activity for early teenagers who are not yet eligible for employment in the general economy. It provides auton ...

the children of voters. In 1931, she graduated at the top of class at

Belfry High School Belfry High School is a high school in Belfry, Kentucky, United States. The school is located in the northeastern region of Pike County, approximately 22 miles northeast of Pikeville, Kentucky and 1 mile south of Williamson, West Virginia. The sch ...

, and went on to graduate from a business school in

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston is the capital and List of cities in West Virginia, most populous city of West Virginia. Located at the confluence of the Elk River (West Virginia), Elk and Kanawha River, Kanawha rivers, the city had a population of 48,864 at the 20 ...

. Runyon began her career in politics in 1934, when she was elected deputy Pike County court clerk, a position she held for 14 years. In 1947, governor

Earle Clements Earle Chester Clements (October 22, 1896 – March 12, 1985) was an American farmer and politician. He represented the Commonwealth of Kentucky in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate and was its 47th Governor, serving ...

appointed her assistant secretary of state of Kentucky. In 1949, Edward F. Seiller died, leaving the office of treasurer vacant, she was appointed by governor Clements to fill the vacancy. In 1952, she was elected treasurer for a second term, becoming the second woman to be elected to the office.

Death

Runyon died on March 17, 1989, at Mountain Manor Nursing Home in

Pikeville, Kentucky Pikeville () is a city in and the county seat of Pike County, Kentucky, United States. During the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population within Pikeville's city limits was 7,754. In Kentucky's current city classification sys ...

, at the age of 76. Her funeral services were held at Steen Funeral Home in

Ashland, Kentucky Ashland is a home rule-class city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States. The largest city in Boyd County, Ashland is located upon a southern bank of the Ohio River at the state border with Ohio and near West Virginia. The population was 21,6 ...

. She was interred at the Rose Hill Burial Park in Ashland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Runyon, Pearl Frances 1913 births 1989 deaths 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians State treasurers of Kentucky People from Pike County, Kentucky Kentucky women in politics Kentucky Democrats