Rutherford B. Hayes Essay Sample

President Hayes was proud to be the nineteenth president of the United States from 1877 to 1881. President Hayes was born in Ohio, where he later became the favorite son. “Favorite son” is a political term that means he had a large favor among the people of his state. He had a background in law before his presidency, and soon after faithfully served in the Union Army from 1861 to 1865. Hayes sums up his thoughts of the president’s job in this quote: “The President of the United States should strive to be always mindful of the fact that he serves his party best who serves his country best”. Throughout his presidency and his life, President Hayes was known for his steadfast values and honesty. 

Hayes was born to Sophia Birchard Hayes and Rutherford Hayes Jr. on October 4th, 1822 in Delaware, Ohio. His father was a farmer, who sadly died of illness in July of 1822, a few months before President Hayes was born. His siblings include Fanny Hayes and Lorenzo Hayes. Lorenzo tragically died at nine years old ice skating. As a result, President Hayes and Fanny were raised by their devoted uncle Sardis Birchard and their mother in Lower Sandusky, Ohio.  Hayes attended Kenyon College, where he became the top of his class in 1842. Three years later in 1845, he earned a law degree from Harvard. Some of his early jobs included practicing law in Lower Sandusky, and then owning a law practice in Cincinnati, where he defended fugitive slaves. Here he became associated with the Republican Party and married Lucy Ware Webb. They had eight children together, but three did not survive. Hayes served with the twenty-third Ohio regiment from 1861 to 1865, but was badly wounded in the Battle of South Mountain. When he was in the Army, he was elected from Congress and served as the Governor of Ohio for three terms.

In President Hayes’s time, the style of taking campaign tours was frowned upon. Candidates usually wrote an acceptance letter telling the citizens about their stances on issues as well as what they would do if they became president. Hayes’s letter included drawing attention to reforming civil service, African American suffrage, and his pledge to serve only one term. Hayes won the nomination of the Republican Party in 1876 and was up against Samuel J. Tilden. In three states, the validity of the votes was questioned and eventually led to Congress passing the Electoral Commission Act. The act was a commission of fifteen people who decided which candidates the votes went to. The final count was 186-185, with President Hayes and Vice President William A. Wheeler, his running mate, as the victor. President Hayes was sworn in after he promised to extract the federal troops from the South. Hayes was a Republican because of his views on individuals improving community good instead of the government doing so. Some of President Hayes’s accomplishments include raising the dollar back to the gold standard as well as civil service reform and corruption. During the Civil War, the Federal government had produced more money than average to pay for the war. This caused the price of the dollar to drop. President Hayes coerced the government to have gold to pay for each new dollar printed. This had raised the value of the dollar back to the gold standard. Using an executive order, Hayes  banned civil servants from getting involved in politics and political activities, since most used their position for personal as well as financial gain. Some Republicans ignored this order because they saw it was dividing the country. His wife, First Lady Lucy, influenced him greatly throughout his presidency. She helped him see why alcohol should be banned from the White House and remained strong in her pro-temperance views. Because of this, she later was given the nickname “Lemonade Lucy”. 

Living up to his acceptance letter promise, President Hayes did not run for a second term and told the American people that he had “no fondness for political life”. Hayes retired to his home, Spiegel Grove, in Fremont, Ohio. He devoted himself to many humanitarian causes such as Immigrant and Native American schooling and prison reform. President Hayes became a trustee to three universities, and was the first president of the board of the John F. Slater Education Fund for Freedmen in 1882. On January 17, 1893, he died of heart failure at his home. He showed his true love to his wife right before he died by saying: “I know that I am going where Lucy is”.

President Hayes made quite a legacy for himself by being selfless and willing to help others. He agreed to negotiate a border issue between Argentina and Paraguay, and the issue was resolved, giving Paraguay three-fifths of their land. In Paraguay he was crowned as a hero, and there is a state, holiday, museum, and a soccer team because of his actions. Although President Hayes was called a fraud and a cheater throughout his term, he was really a humble man. He remained with his values and love for God throughout his whole life. “The best religion the world has ever known is the religion of the Bible. It builds up all that is good” said Hayes.