Martha Adams Runnels
Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas
Marker Inscription
(March 26, 1836 - July 19, 1907) A first lady of Texas. Wife of H. W. Runnels, member of legislature 1857-59. During these years she and husband lived in Governor's Mansion, where she was the official hostess for her bachelor brother-in-law, Gov. Hardin Richard Runnels. Recorded - 1969 Incise on base: Erected by Lone Star Chapter Daughters of American Revolution and Bowie County Historical Survey Committee.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Martha Adams Runnels lived at the pivotal moment when Texas moved from republic to established state. Married to legislator H. W. Runnels, she stepped into the Governor's Mansion in the late 1850s to serve as official hostess for her bachelor brother-in-law, Governor Hardin Richard Runnels, who briefly led Texas on the eve of the Civil War. Marked by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1969, her memorial recalls the social and ceremonial role women filled in early Texas public life.
Why it matters
Her life illuminates how women shaped the political and social world of antebellum Texas from within the Governor's Mansion, even when formal power was closed to them.
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Related people
- · Martha Adams Runnels
- · H. W. Runnels
- · Hardin Richard Runnels
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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