Ebe W. Tunnell - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Ebe Walter Tunnell was an American merchant and politician from Lewes, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware.

Early life and family

Tunnell was born at Blackwater, near Clarksville, now Ocean View

Ocean View, Delaware

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,006 people, 458 households, and 321 families residing in the town. The population density was 495.0 people per square mile . There were 751 housing units at an average density of 369.6 per square mile...

, Sussex County, Delaware, son of Nathaniel and Maria Walters Tunnell. After attending the public schools at Milford

Milford, Delaware

Milford is a city in Kent and Sussex counties in the U.S. state of Delaware. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 9,559....

, Delaware and Lewes, he ran the Blackwater general store started by his grandfather. Moving to Lewes in 1872, he operated a drug and hardware business there. He was one of only two Governors who never married and was a member of the Lewes Presbyterian Church.

Governor of Delaware

Tunnell was a member of the Delaware House of Representatives in the 1871/72 session and Clerk of the Peace for Sussex County from 1885 through 1890. He was the unsuccessful Democratic Party candidate for Governor of Delaware in 1894, losing to the Republican Party candidate, Joshua H. Marvil

Joshua H. Marvil

Joshua Hopkins Marvil was an American merchant and politician from Laurel, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Republican Party, who served as Governor of Delaware.-Early life and family:...

. Two years later, in 1896, he was elected Governor, defeating the Union (Addicks

J. Edward Addicks

John Edward Charles O'Sullivan Addicks was an industrialist and capitalist who used his wealth from financing and building gas works to wage four unsuccessful campaigns for a United States Senate seat in Delaware. His struggle with Henry A...

) Republican Party candidate, James R. Hoffecker, and the regular Republican Party candidate John C. Higgins. He served one term as Governor from January 19, 1897 until January 15, 1901.

During his term of office the present State Constitution, the Delaware Constitution of 1897

Delaware Constitution of 1897

The Constitution of the State of Delaware of 1897 is the fourth and current governing document for Delaware state government and has been in effect since its adoption on June 4 of that year.-Executive:...

was written and adopted. It provided some additional representation for New Castle County in the Delaware General Assembly, but actually reduced the representation of Wilmington which by then was the most populous part of Delaware. Among many other changes it created the office of Lieutenant Governor

Lieutenant governor

A lieutenant governor or lieutenant-governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction, but is often the deputy or lieutenant to or ranking under a governor — a "second-in-command"...

, allowed Governors to be elected to a second term and gave him the veto, reduced judge's terms from life to twelve years, and eliminated the poll tax. It was also during his term that the General Incorporation Law was passed, creating the favorable business environment that has resulted in Delaware becoming the preferred place in the U.S. for companies to incorporate.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly
Delaware General Assembly
The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...

(sessions while Governor)
|-
!Year
!Assembly
!
!Senate Majority
!Speaker
!
!House Majority
!Speaker
|-
|1897-1898
|89th

Delaware General Assembly

The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 Senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 Representatives...

|
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

Democratic Party (United States)

| |Emery B. Riggin
|-
|1899-1900
|90th

Delaware General Assembly

|
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

Republican Party (United States)

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

| |Theodore F. Clark
|-

Death and legacy

After his term ended, Tunnell returned to Lewes, where he became President of the Farmers' Bank of Delaware, a director of the Delaware, Maryland and Virginia Railroad, and owner of the Delaware Pilot. He died at Lewes, and is buried there in the Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

Almanac

Elections are held the first Tuesday after November 1st. Members of the Delaware General Assembly took office the first Tuesday of January. State Representatives have a two year term. The Governor takes office the third Tuesday of January and has a four year term.

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Public Offices
|-
! Office
! Type
! Location
! Began office
! Ended office
! notes
|-
|State Representative

Delaware House of Representatives

The Delaware House of Representatives is the lower house of the Delaware General Assembly; the state legislature of the U.S. State of Delaware. It is composed of 41 Representatives from an equal amount of constituencies, each of whom is elected to a two year term. The Delaware General Assembly...

|Legislature

Legislature

A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

The city of Dover is the capital and second largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County, and the principal city of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County. It is located on the St. Jones River in the Delaware...

Executive (government)

Executive branch of Government is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state bureaucracy. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.In many countries, the term...

|Georgetown

Georgetown, Delaware

Georgetown is a town in Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to 2010 census figures, the population of the town is 6,422, an increase of 38.3% over the previous decade...

|1885
|1890
|Sussex County

Sussex County, Delaware

Sussex County is a county located in the southern part of the U.S. state of Delaware. As of 2010 the population was 197,145, an increase of 25.9% over the previous decade. The county seat is Georgetown. The Seaford Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Sussex County.Sussex County is...

|-
|Governor
|Executive

Executive (government)

|Dover

Dover, Delaware

|January 19, 1897
|January 15, 1901
|

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=7 style="background: #ccccff;" |Delaware General Assembly service
|-
! Dates
! Assembly
! Chamber
! Majority
! Governor
! Committees
! District
|-
|1871-1872
|76th

Delaware General Assembly

|State House

Delaware House of Representatives

|Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

|James Ponder

James Ponder

James Ponder was an American merchant and politician from Milton, in Sussex County, Delaware. He was a member of the Democratic Party, who served in the Delaware General Assembly and as Governor of Delaware....

|
|Sussex at-large

Sussex County, Delaware

{|class=wikitable style="width: 94%" style="text-align: center;" align="center"
|-bgcolor=#cccccc
!colspan=12 style="background: #ccccff;" |Election results
|-
!Year
!Office
!
!Subject
!Party
!Votes
!%
!
!Opponent
!Party
!Votes
!%
|-
|1894
|Governor
|
| |Ebe W. Tunnell
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |18,659
| |47%
|
| |Joshua H. Marvil

Joshua H. Marvil

| |Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |19,880
| |50%
|-
|1896
|Governor
|
| |Ebe W. Tunnell
| |Democratic

Democratic Party (United States)

| |15,507
| |44%
|
| |James R. Hoffecker
John C. Higgins
| |Union Republican

Republican Party (United States)

Republican

Republican Party (United States)

| |11,014
7,154
| |31%
20%

Images

Hall of Governors Portrait Gallery Portrait courtesy of Historical and Cultural Affairs, Dover.

External links

Places with more information

Delaware Historical Society
Delaware Historical Society
The Delaware Historical Society began in 1864 as an effort to preserve documents from the Civil War. Since then, it has expanded into a state-wide historical institution with several venues and a major museum in Wilmington and the historic Read House & Gardens in New Castle.The society...

; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161
University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...

; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965

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