About Me
Beneficiary of the most fiercely disputed election in American history, I brought to the Executive Mansion dignity, honesty, and moderate reform. To the delight of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, my wife, Lucy Webb Hayes carried out my orders to banish wines and liquors from the White House. Born in Ohio in 1822, I was educated at Kenyon College and Harvard Law School. After five years of law practice in Lower Sandusky, I moved to Cincinnati, where I flourished as a young Whig lawyer. I fought in the Civil War, was wounded in action, and rose to the rank of brevet major general. While I was still in the Army, Cincinnati Republicans ran me for the House of Representatives. I accepted the nomination, but would not campaign, because, "an officer fit for duty who at this crisis would abandon his post to electioneer... ought to be scalped." Elected by a heavy majority, I entered Congress in December 1865, troubled by the "Rebel influences ... ruling the White House." Between 1867 and 1876 I served three terms as Governor of Ohio. Safe liberalism, party loyalty, and a good war record made me an acceptable Republican candidate in 1876. I opposed Governor Samuel J. Tilden of New York. Although a galaxy of famous Republican speakers, and even Mark Twain, stumped for me, I expected the Democrats to win. When the first returns seemed to confirm this, I went to bed, believing I had lost. But in New York, Republican National Chairman Zachariah Chandler, aware of a loophole, wired leaders to stand firm: "Hayes has 185 votes and is elected." The popular vote apparently was 4,300,000 for Tilden to 4,036,000 for me. My election depended upon contested electoral votes in Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida. If all the disputed electoral votes went to me, I would win; a single one would elect Tilden. Months of uncertainty followed. In January 1877 Congress established an Electoral Commission to decide the dispute. The commission, made up of eight Republicans and seven Democrats, determined all the contests in favor of me by eight to seven. The final electoral vote: 185 to 184. Northern Republicans had been promising southern Democrats at least one Cabinet post, Federal patronage, subsidies for internal improvements, and withdrawal of troops from Louisiana and South Carolina. I insisted that my appointments must be made on merit, not political considerations. For my Cabinet I chose men of high caliber, but outraged many Republicans because one member was an ex-Confederate and another had bolted the party as a Liberal Republican in 1872. I pledged protection of the rights of Negroes in the South, but at the same time advocated the restoration of "wise, honest, and peaceful local self-government." This meant the withdrawal of troops. I hoped such conciliatory policies would lead to the building of a "new Republican party" in the South, to which white businessmen and conservatives would rally. Many of the leaders of the new South did indeed favor Republican economic policies and approved of my financial conservatism, but they faced annihilation at the polls if they were to join the party of Reconstruction. My Republican successors and I were persistent inour efforts but could not win over the "solid South." I announced in advance that I would serve only one term, and retired to Spiegel Grove, my home in Fremont, Ohio, in 1881. I (supposedly) died in 1893.
