Born in Ohio in 1822, Rutherford B. Hayes was educated at Kenyon College and Harvard Law School. After five years of law practice in Lower Sandusky, he moved to Cincinnati, where he flourished as a young Whig lawyer.
Hayes fought in the Civil War and was wounded in action. He rose to the rank of brevet major general. While he was in the army, Cincinnati Republicans nominated him for the House of Representatives. Hayes accepted the nomination, but would not run the campaign. Hayes was elected by a large majority, and Hayes entered Congress in December of 1865. Between 1867 and 1876, Hayes served three terms as Governor of Ohio.
Before Hayes was elected president, he had believed that he had lost, so he went back to bed. His opposition won the vote, but the vote still had to be put through the Electoral College. Hayes won the vote and became the next president of the United States. Hayes had high standards for his Cabinet positions, a result of his merit-based selection system. This outraged many Republicans because one of the men was an ex-Confederate.
Hayes had announced in advance that he would serve only one term, and retired to Spiegel Grove, his home in Fremont, Ohio, in 1881. He died in 1893.
Fun Facts:
- Hayes and the First Lady were unusually well educated.
- Hayes didn't allow alcohol of any kind at the White House. The only exception to this rule was when they had important guests over.
- Hayes arranged for the delivery of the first Siamese cat in America. They named it Siam.
Rutherford B. Hayes:
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