Rutherford B.

Hayes
• Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was
an American politician, lawyer, military leader and the 19th President
of the United States (1877–1881).
• Hayes was elected President by one electoral vote after the highly
disputed election of 1876.
• Losing the popular vote to his opponent, Samuel Tilden, Hayes was the
only president whose election was decided by a congressional
commission.
• During his otherwise uneventful presidency, he ordered federal troops
to suppress The Great Railroad Strike of 1877 and he
ended Reconstruction.
• Hayes was born in Delaware, Ohio[1], on October 4, 1822. His parents
were Rutherford Hayes (January 4, 1787 Brattleboro, Vermont – July 20,
1822 Delaware, Ohio) and Sophia Birchard (April 15, 1792 Wilmington,
Vermont – October 30, 1866 Columbus, Ohio).
• His father, a storekeeper, died ten weeks before his birth, thus making
Hayes the second U.S. president born after the death of his
father, Andrew Jacksonbeing the first.
• An uncle, Sardis Birchard, lived with the family and served as Hayes's
guardian.
• Close to Hayes throughout his life, Birchard became a father figure to
him, schooling a young Hayes in Latin and Ancient Greek, and
contributing much to his early education.
• Hayes attended the common schools and the Methodist Academy
in Norwalk.
• He graduated from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio in August 1842 at
the top of his class
• He was an honorary member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity (Delta
Chi chapter at Cornell), though he had already graduated after the
Fraternity Chapter was Chartered.
• After briefly reading the law in Columbus, he graduated in 2 years
from Harvard Law School in January 1845.
• He was admitted to the bar on May 10, 1845, and commenced practice
in Lower Sandusky (now Fremont).
• After dissolving the partnership in Fremont in 1849, he moved
to Cincinnati and resumed the practice of law.
• Rutherford and Lucy Hayes on their wedding day, December 30, 1852.
• On December 30, 1852, Hayes married Lucy Ware Webb.
• They had eight children, seven sons and a daughter. (Sardis, James,
Rutherford, Frances, Scott, and three sons who died young).
• In 1856, Hayes was nominated for but declined a municipal judgeship;
however, in 1858 he accepted an appointment as Cincinnati city
solicitor by the city council and won election outright to that position in
1859, losing a reelection bid in 1860.
• While commanding the 23rd Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
Hayes met William McKinley Jr., who would later become the 25th
President of the United States.
• The two become fraternal brothers of the Independent Order of Odd
Fellows (I.O.O.F.).
• Hayes promoted McKinley twice under his military command, including
once for an act of bravery at Antietam.
• During Hayes' first Ohio gubernatorial race, McKinley engaged in
political campaigning and rallying for Hayes' election by "making
speeches in the Canton area".
• Later, as Governor of Ohio, Hayes provided political support for his
fellow Republican and Ohioan during McKinley's bid for congressional
election.