Hardin Richard Runnels served as governor of the state of Texas from December 21, 1857 to December 21, 1859. Runnels was born in Mississippi on August 30, 1820. He settled with his mother and two brothers on a plantation in Bowie County in 1842. From 1847 to 1852, Runnels represented Bowie and various surrounding counties in the 2nd through 5th Legislatures; he was chosen speaker of the house in his last term. Runnels was elected lieutenant governor under Elisha M. Pease, and was the only person to defeat Sam Houston in a political campaign, becoming governor in 1857 on a states-rights ticket. Indian trouble, the border raids of Juan Cortina, and sectional factionalism were probable factors which helped Houston defeat Runnels in 1859. Runnels was a delegate to the Secession Convention of 1861 and the Constitutional Convention of 1866. He died in 1873.
From the guide to the Records, 1857-1859, (Texas State Archives)
