Born: 1822, Delaware, OH
Died: 1893

Rutherford B. Hayes presided over a war-torn nation reveling in a measure of stability – with a stable leader at the helm. A Harvard-trained lawyer and Civil War hero wounded in battle four times, the former Ohio governor brought integrity and skill to a White House badly in need of both. His election in 1876 was a rancorous affair, however, the most controversial in U.S. history. Democrat Samuel Tilden outpolled Hayes in popular votes, with the electoral votes of four states in dispute. A special Electoral Commission made up of a Republican majority awarded all the disputed votes to Hayes.

Once securely in office, President Hayes reformed the civil service, basing appointments on merit rather than the spoils system. He appeased Southern Democrats by withdrawing Federal troops from the South and appointing former Confederates to government positions, thereby bringing Reconstruction to an end. Hayes’s economic policies inspired confidence among business leaders. The President refused to seek a second term, turning over to his successor a nation prosperous and at peace.

Nineteenth President
Republican

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