Sir John Johnson Runtz (1842 - 1922) was a local politician in the Stoke Newington area. The son of John Runtz, a prominent businessman and member of a number of local authorities, he became an insurance broker in the City of London. By 1868 he was active in the Conservative Party, and was elected to the local vestry. When this was replaced by the Metropolitan Borough of Stoke Newington in 1900, Runtz was the first mayor of the borough. He was knighted in 1903. Information about his son Ernest August Runtz, the artist, here [1].