Ebe W. Tunnell

Ebe Walter Tunnell (born December 31, 1844 in Sussex County , Delaware ; † December 13, 1917 in Lewes , Delaware) was an American politician and governor of the state of Delaware from 1897 to 1901 .

Early years and political advancement

Ebe Tunnell was born in Blackwater, near Clarksville; both places now belong to the city of Ocean View . After finishing school, he took over the general store founded by his grandfather in the town of his birth. In 1872 he moved to Lewes, where he ran a hardware store and drug store. Tunnell became a member of the Democratic Party . In 1870 he was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives for one term . Between 1885 and 1890 he was a "Clerk of Peace" Justice of the Peace in Sussex County. From 1882 to 1917 he was President of the Farmer's Bank of Delaware. In 1894 he ran unsuccessfully for the office of governor of his state. In the next election on November 3, 1896, he then achieved the election victory he had hoped for. Although he only achieved 47% of the vote, this was the best result of the three applicants.

Delaware Governor

Ebe Tunnell began his four-year term on January 19, 1897. During this time an agriculture committee was set up and the judiciary restructured. In addition, a new state constitution was drawn up, which came into force in 1897 and which, among other things, created the office of vice governor . The representation of the individual counties in the legislature has also been reorganized. The new constitution also allowed governors to serve two consecutive terms. Politically, before Tunnell's tenure in Delaware there had been a turnaround in favor of the Republican Party , which continued. The turnaround was then that Tunnell would remain the last Democratic governor of Delaware until 1937.

Another résumé

After the end of his tenure on January 15, 1901, Tunnell withdrew from politics and devoted himself more to his extensive private business. He continued to be president of the bank and became a board member of a railway company. Ebe Tunnell was unmarried. He was a distant relative of James M. Tunnell (1879-1957), who represented Delaware in the US Senate from 1941 to 1947 .

literature

Robert Sobel and John Raimo (Eds.): Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789–1978. Volume 1, Meckler Books, Westport, 1978. 4 volumes.

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personal data
SURNAME	Tunnell, Ebe W.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Tunnell, Ebe Walter (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	American politician
DATE OF BIRTH	December 31, 1844
PLACE OF BIRTH	Sussex County , Delaware
DATE OF DEATH	December 13, 1917
Place of death	Lewes , Delaware