Rutherford B. Hayes: The Most Disputed President

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On election night 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes, the Republican candidate for president, went to bed firmly convinced he had lost.

Four months later, he walked into the White House as the 19th president of the United States. His ultimate victory remains the single most disputed presidential outcome in American history–more than Bush v. Gore in 2000, more than Trump v. Biden in 2020.

Hayes, the youngest of five children, was born on October 4, 1822, in a small town near Columbus, Ohio. His father had died two months earlier. His bachelor uncle, Sardis Birchard, a businessman and banker, became his guardian and surrogate father.

Like so many young Americans of his day, “Rud,” as he was called, was imbued with a tireless work ethic. He was a conscientious student, graduating from Kenyon College in Ohio in 1842 at the top of his class. Thanks to his uncle’s generosity, he graduated from Harvard Law School, where he also excelled.

By 1849, Hayes had started a successful law practice in the rapidly growing city of Cincinnati. Strongly opposed to slavery, he defended many runaway slaves in court.

When the Civil War broke out, Hayes was nearly 40, married, a father of three with a fourth on the way, and a leading figure in southern Ohio. He had everything to lose and nothing to gain by volunteering for the Union cause. But he did so anyway.

His leadership qualities were immediately recognized by his superiors and the soldiers under his command.

Hayes saw action at the Battles of Antietam, Winchester, and Cedar Creek, among others. Badly wounded in the first of those battles, he stayed on the field issuing orders. Had his men not carried him to safety, he would have died.

Entering the war without any military