RUTHERFORD

B.HAYES
19TH PRESIDENT OF
THE UNITED STATES

By Aislyne Olsen
 HIS EARLY LIFE
➢ Born 1982 in Delaware, Ohio.
➢ His parents are Rutherford
Hayes and Sophia Birchard
Hayes.
➢ He’s named after his father
who died two months prior to
his birth.
➢ Raised by his mother and
uncle Sardis Birchard, a
successful lawyer.
➢ Attended school in Delaware
and Norwalk, Ohio, and
Midtown, Connecticut.
 HIS EARLY LIFE
➢ Hayes attended and graduated
from Kenyon College in 1842,
valedictorian of his class.
➢ He studied for a year in a Columbia
law office before entering Harvard
Law School.
➢ Received his degree and passed his
bar exam in 1845.
➢ Practiced law in Lower Sandusky
(modern day Fremont, Ohio) before
moving to Cincinnati, Ohio where
he found success as a lawyer.
➢ His opposition to slavery is what
drew him to the Republican party.
 MARRIED LIFE
➢ In 1882, he married Lucy Ware
Webb.
➢ Lucy became the first wife of a
president to graduate from
college.
➢ Together, they had eight children:
○ Webb
○ Rutherford P.
○ Scott Russell
○ Manning Force
○ George crook
○ Joseph Thompson
○ Birchard Austin
○ Fanny Hayes
 MILITARY CAREER
➢ Fought for the Union during the
Civil War.
➢ Was first appointed as Major for
the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
Rose to the rank of Major General
➢ Was severely injured at the Battle
of South Mountain but survived.
➢ In 1864, while still in the army he
was elected to Congress (he
refused to campaign, because he
did not want to abandon the
army.)
POLITICAL CAREER
➢ Hayes didn’t take seat until 1865
with the end of the war. He was re-
elected for congress the following
year.
➢ In 1867 he was elected Governor of
Ohio. Served until the end of his
term in 1872 when he “retired” and
moved to Fremont in 1873.
➢ Ended up coming out of retirement
& ran for a third-term as Governor
in 1875.
➢ Around this time, the Republican
party chose Hayes as their
Presidential Candidate.
 PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION
➢ Ran against Democratic candidate
Samuel J. Tilden, Gov. of New York.
➢ Represented the Republican Party
(GOP).
➢ At the end of the election, neither
candidate had a majority electoral
vote. It was split: 184 / 184. Tilden
had won the popular vote, which
was declared a Democratic victory.
➢ Due to the confusion, the
Republican party pushed for a
recount.
 PRESIDENTIAL
ELECTION (CONT.)
➢ Confusion and conflict stemmed
from inconsistent results from South
Carolina, Florida, and Louisiana.
➢ A 15 member commission,
appointed by congress, was formed
to determine the winner of each
state’s electoral votes.
➢ Hayes won with 185 to 184.
➢ Due to how controversial the
election was, many Democrats
viewed his election as fraudulent/
rigged.
 PRESIDENCY
HIGHLIGHTS
➢ Withdrew federal troops from states
still under military occupation, ending
Reconstruction.
➢ Appointed Southerners to federal
positions and pushed for financial
improvements in the South. This
mended the relationship between the
US and the South.
➢ Established a new standard of official
integrity to combat corruption among
the Government in Washington DC.
➢ The Bland-Allison Act allowed the
Federal Govt. to resume minting silver
coins. His veto was overridden by
Congress, restoring the silver dollar as
legal tender (currency).
POST-PRESIDENCY
➢ Hayes said he wouldn’t run for a
second term and honored that
commitment. After completing his
term, he retired (for real this time!)
to his estate Spiegel Grove in
Fremont.
➢ In retirement, he continued to
devote himself to humanitarian
causes. He worked to help war
veterans, improve conditions in
prisons, and pushed for universal
education for Southern black
youth.
➢ Died in 1893 at the age of 70.
 HIS LEGACY &
ACHIEVEMENTS
➢ Hayes’ was known for his
character and moral integrity. (A
striking contrast considering the
accusations of corruption under
the Grant Administration.
➢ A genuine war hero who was
against slavery. Hoped that his
actions would heal the wounds
left by the Civil War.
➢ The Tilden-Hayes affair redefined
how the country addresses
inconsistent election results
among the states.
SOURCES
“Biography.” Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library & Museums,
https://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/biography/.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Rutherford B. Hayes.” Encyclopædia Britannica,

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 29 Aug. 2019,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rutherford-B-Hayes.

History.com Editors. “Rutherford B. Hayes.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 29 Oct.

2009, https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/rutherford-b-hayes.

“Rutherford B. Hayes.” The White House, The United States Government,

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/rutherford-b-hayes/.

“Rutherford B. Hayes: Controversial and Little Remembered.” National Constitution Center –

Constitutioncenter.org, https://constitutioncenter.org/blog/rutherford-b-hayes-a-
misunderstood-president.