Rutherford B. Hayes

A Salute to our 19th President

There is a certain aura of romance surrounding the Presidency. Take a journey with us as we look into the legacy of President Rutherford B. Hayes.

Hayes was one of the more interesting presidents, yet is often in the limelight of his predecessor, Ulysses S. Grant.
With the Civil War in the annals of American history, the country slowly entered into a new era docked by new problems such as women’s suffrage, prohibition, and strikes from the mainstream of the country – the railroad and the miners. It seems that Hayes was handed a lemon when he was elected president. What did he do? He made lemonade, of course! Or would that be his wife, Lucy?

Until the year 2000, the presidential election of 1876 was the most bitterly contested in United States history. Democrats accused Republicans of fraud and vice versa. It was only two days before President Grant’s term expired when the electoral commission decided in favor of Republican candidate, Rutherford B. Hayes.

President Hayes was a civil war hero, his bravery unquestioned – his courage admired by many. He enjoyed fishing, playing chess, and reading novels – although he referred to novels as ‘trash’. There is much trivia surrounding President Hayes’ term in office and the following is a short list of the more interesting notations occurring during this timeframe.

~ ~ Colorado became the 38th state of the union in 1876.

~ ~ In 1877, railroad workers rioted, creating a nationwide strike which necessitated President Hayes calling out federal troops in an effort to restore order.

~ ~ In 1878, the first commercial telephone exchange debuted in New Haven, Connecticut with a grand total of 21 subscribers! Soon, Hayes became the first president to have a telephone at his disposal in the White House.

~ ~ Also during this year, the Women’s Suffrage Amendment was proposed in the US Congress.

~ ~ The following year, inventor Thomas Edison brought the electric light into the world.

~ ~ Great literary works entered the marketplace including Black Beauty, Ben-Hur and Uncle Remus.

~~ A time-honored tradition was initiated by President Hayes and his wife, Lucy, on the White House lawn. The White House egg-rolling contest still makes top news in today’s headlines.

~ ~ Lucy Hayes would be the first wife of a president to bare the title of “First Lady”.

THE DIARY OF PRESIDENT RUTHERFORD B. HAYES

Hayes was one of only three presidents to keep a diary while serving office. Actually, his ‘diary keeping days’ dated a few years back, from the age of twelve. He would maintain a diary until his death at age seventy in 1893.

There were a total of five volumes published in 1922 entitled, “The Diary and Letters of Rutherford B. Hayes, Nineteenth President of the United States”, edited by Charles Richard Williams. The collection is comprised of 3,000 pages of text that have since been digitized. These writings are available on the Internet.

IN SUMMARY

The Hayeses were intent on setting a positive family example for all Americans. They were deeply concerned regarding the problem of alcoholism, which was rampant in the country during Hayes’ presidency. Alcoholic drinks were abolished during White House functions, tagging Lucy Hayes with the nickname of ‘Lemonade Lucy’.

Rutherford and Lucy were known for their hospitality, simplicity and modesty – and of course, that great lemonade.

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