Appointed by Warren G. Harding Religion Baptist Succeeded by Clarence E. Case Spouse(s) Florence M. MacDonald Party Republican Party | Political party Republican Education Yale University Preceded by new seat Name William Runyon Resigned January 13, 1920 | |
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Preceded by Walter Evans Edge
Governor Role Former Governor of New Jersey Died November 9, 1931, Plainfield, New Jersey, United States Previous office Governor of New Jersey (1919–1920) | ||
William Nelson Runyon (March 5, 1871 – November 9, 1931) was an American politician from the Republican Party who served as Acting Governor of New Jersey from 1919 to 1920.
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Biography
Runyon was born in Plainfield, New Jersey on March 5, 1871. He graduated from Yale University in 1892 and New York Law School in 1894, afterwards practicing law in Plainfield.
A Republican, Runyon served on the Plainfield Common Council from 1897 to 1898 and was Judge of Plainfield's City Court from 1899 to 1910.
Runyon was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly from 1915 to 1917, and served in the New Jersey Senate from 1918 to 1922.
He was serving as President of the Senate when Walter Evans Edge resigned the governorship in order to accept the United States Senate seat to which he had been elected in 1918. At the time New Jersey had no Lieutenant Governor, so Runyon succeeded to the governorship. He served from May 16, 1919 to January 13, 1920. Runyon was defeated in the 1919 Republican primary for Governor.
Runyon was a delegate to the 1920 Republican National Convention. In 1922 he was the Republican gubernatorial nominee but lost the general election to George S. Silzer.
In 1923 Runyon was appointed Judge of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and he remained on the bench until his death.
Death and burial
Runyon died in Plainfield on November 9, 1931, aged 60, and was buried in Hillside Cemetery, Scotch Plains, New Jersey.