Rutherford Birchard Hayes was a studious, good-natured man who enjoyed books more than politics. Ohio Republicans nominated him for Congress while he was fighting in the Civil War, but Hayes refused to campaign, declaring that any officer who "would abandon his post to electioneer for a seat in Congress ought to be scalped." He was elected, but refused to take his seat until the war was over. He later served three terms as Governor of Ohio. In 1876, he was nominated for the presidency, an office which he ultimately won by a margin of one electoral vote just one day before his inauguration.

Chronology of His Life and Career

	October 4, 1822	Born in Delaware, Ohio.
	1842	Graduated from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.
	1845	Graduated from Harvard Law School.
	1850	Opened a law office in Cincinnati, Ohio.
	December 30, 1852	Married Lucy Ware Webb.
	1858	Elected City Solicitor of Cincinnati.
	1861-1865	Served in the Civil War.
	1864	Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
	1867	Elected Governor of Ohio.
	1873	Moved into Spiegel Grove.
	1876-1877	Elected President of the United States.
	January 17, 1893	Died in Fremont, Ohio.

See Also

Civil War
Ohio
The Presidential Election of 1876

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This page was last updated on August 30, 2018.