Hardin R. Runnels

Duane's take

The official marker in Travis County gives us this one, and I'm gonna do right by it. Hardin R. Runnels.

Now that's a name that moved through the halls of Texas power like a man with somewhere to be, and the record bears that out step by step. Born in Mississippi on August 30, 1820, he made his way to Texas and started climbing. First stop: the House of Representatives, where he served from 1847 all the way to 1854.

Seven years in that chamber, and by the end of it he wasn't just a member. He was Speaker of the House, holding that gavel from 1853 to 1854. That's the top of the room, friend.

The man running the proceedings. But Runnels wasn't finished. On December 21, 1855, he stepped into the office of Lieutenant Governor, and he held that post until December 21, 1857.

Two years to the day. You want to talk about a clean tenure, that's it right there. And then, on that very same December 21, 1857, he moved up again.

Governor of Texas. The highest office in the state, and he carried it until December 21, 1859. Another two years, another clean exit on the same calendar date.

Three times over, December the twenty-first marked a turning point in this man's life. The marker doesn't explain it. It just states it, and lets you sit with it.

Hardin R. Runnels died on December 25, 1873, in Bowie County, Texas. And the State of Texas, in 1936, saw fit to put his name in stone.

Some careers leave a long shadow. His leaves a very precise one.

What the marker says

Member of the House of Representatives, 1847-1854 Speaker of the House, 1853-1854 Lieutenant Governor Dec. 21, 1855 to Dec 21, 1857 Governor of Texas Dec. 21, 1857 to Dec. 21, 1859 Born in Mississippi August 30, 1820 Died in Bowie County, Texas December 25, 1873 Erected by the State of Texas 1936