Rutherford B. Hayes

Rutherford B. Hayes was the nineteenth President of the United States, serving a single term from 1877 to 1881. His administration is most remembered for overseeing the end of Reconstruction and for championing civil service reform. A former Union Army officer and Governor of Ohio, his presidency was defined by the political compromise that resolved the disputed 1876 election.

Early life and career

Rutherford Birchard Hayes was born in Delaware, Ohio to Sophia Birchard and Rutherford Hayes Jr., a storekeeper who died before his son's birth. He graduated as valedictorian from Kenyon College in 1842 and earned a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1845. Hayes established a successful legal practice in Lower Sandusky (later Fremont, Ohio) before moving to Cincinnati, where he defended fugitive slaves in several cases. He married Lucy Webb Hayes in 1852 and became involved in local politics as a member of the nascent Republican Party, serving as the city solicitor of Cincinnati from 1858 to 1861.

Civil War service

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, Hayes joined the Union Army as a major in the 23rd Ohio Infantry Regiment, a unit that also included future President William McKinley. He was wounded at the Battle of South Mountain in 1862 and later fought with distinction at the Battle of Antietam and the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain. Promoted to the rank of brevet major general, he served under General George Crook in the Shenandoah Valley campaign of 1864, participating in the Battle of Opequon. While still on active duty in 1864, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives from Ohio's 2nd congressional district.

Presidency (1877–1881)

Hayes assumed the presidency after the most contentious election in American history, the 1876 election, which was decided by a special Electoral Commission and the informal Compromise of 1877. Key elements of this agreement included the withdrawal of federal troops from the Southern United States, effectively ending Reconstruction, and the appointment of a Southern Democrat to his cabinet. His domestic policy focused on civil service reform, opposing the spoils system championed by Stalwart Republicans like Roscoe Conkling. He ordered federal troops to break the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and vetoed the Bland–Allison Act, a compromise measure requiring the government to purchase silver. In foreign affairs, his administration grappled with issues along the Mexico–United States border and attempted to renegotiate the Burlingame Treaty with China.

Post-presidency and death

True to his pledge to serve only one term, Hayes did not seek re-election in 1880 and retired to his estate, Spiegel Grove, in Fremont, Ohio. In his later years, he advocated for educational opportunities for African Americans, serving on the board of the Slater Fund and supporting institutions like the Tuskegee Institute. He also became a prominent advocate for prison reform. Hayes died of a heart attack at Spiegel Grove on January 17, 1893, and was interred at Oakwood Cemetery in Fremont.

Legacy and historical view

Historians often rank Hayes as an average president, with his legacy inextricably linked to the Compromise of 1877 and the subsequent rollback of civil rights for African Americans in the Jim Crow era. His commitment to civil service reform laid important groundwork for the later Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act passed during the administration of Chester A. Arthur. His advocacy for education and prison reform, as well as his wife Lucy's popular tenure as First Lady—where she earned the nickname "Lemonade Lucy" for banning alcohol from the White House—are also noted aspects of his historical profile.

Category:Presidents of the United States Category:Governors of Ohio Category:Union Army generals