Rutherford B. Hayes was born in Ohio in 1822 and educated at Kenyon College and Harvard Law School. He fought in the Civil War and was wounded in battle. While he was still in the army, the Cincinnati Republicans nominated him to the House of Representatives, and he was elected by an overwhelming majority. He later served three terms as governor of Ohio. By 1876, he was the Republican presidential candidate and ultimately won by one vote in the Electoral College, despite losing the national popular vote.

President Hayes insisted that his appointments be made on merit and not for political reasons. However, he angered many Republicans because one member of his cabinet was a former Confederate and another left the party as a liberal Republican in 1872. To the delight of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes complied with her husband’s orders. banish wine and liquor from the White House, which later became known as «Lemonade Lucy». Hayes had announced in advance that he would serve only one term as president, and in 1881 he retired to Spiegel Grove, his home in Fremont, Ohio, and died in 1893.

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