Hayes, Rutherford Birchard

Rutherford Birchard (1822-1893), the nineteenth president of the United States. He was born at Delaware, Ohio, and died at Fremont in the same state. He was graduated at Kenyon College in the class of 1842. He studied law at Harvard and practiced at Marietta and Cincinnati. At the outbreak of the Civil War he entered the service as captain of a Cincinnati company and rose to be a major-general. At the close of the war he shared the political good fortune that be-fell many soldiers. He was sent to Congress in 1864 and was elected governor in 1867. He was reelected in 1869 and again in 1875. His ability to carry Ohio, then regarded as a doubtful state, led to his nomination for the presidency by the Republicans in 1876. His Democratic opponent, Samuel J. Tilden, received the greater number of popular votes, but Hayes was seated by the Electoral Commission. As president, Hayes stood for the withdrawal of troops from the South, for a gold standard, and for civil service reform. While not a great man, President Hayes was eminently worthy of respect. He took an active part in the educational and charitable movements of his native state. See Electoral Commission