U.S. Presidents & First Ladies

Rutherford Hayes

Rutherford B. Hayes, born in 1822 in Ohio, was a Civil War general, lawyer and twice Governor of Ohio. He became the 19th president after the disputed 1876 election, striking a deal with Southern Democrats to end Reconstruction. One of the members of the election commission was Senator George Edmunds, to whom President Hayes wrote this letter in 1879. As president, Hayes promoted civil service reform and worked to protect the rights of Black citizens in the South, though he faced strong opposition. After leaving office in 1881, Hayes worked as an education advocate until his death in 1893.