Rutherford B. Hayes Biography

Rutherford B. Hayes was an Ohio lawyer who was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives while still on active duty in the Civil War. He served three terms as Governor of Ohio, then received the Republican nomination in the presidential race of 1876. Although his opponent, Democrat Samuel J. Tilden, received a plurality of the popular vote, the electoral votes from four states were in dispute. A special congressional commission gave the election to Hayes just three days before his inauguration. In turn, President Hayes removed Federal troops from the South. After his term expired, he did not seek re-election. He was succeeded by James Garfield.