Happy Birthday Dear Rutherford
On October 4, 1822, 188 years ago today, Rutherford Birchard Hayes was born in Delaware, Ohio. He was a graduate of Harvard Law School in 1845 and practiced law in Ohio before getting involved in politics and going to fight in the civil war.
Hayes had a distinguished career as a soldier. As a brevetted brigadier general (a rank held only on the battlefield), he commanded the First Brigade of the Kanawha Division of the Army of West Virginia and turned back several raids. In 1864, Hayes showed gallantry in spearheading a frontal assault and temporarily taking command from George Crook at the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain and continued with Crook on to Charleston. Hayes continued commanding his Brigade during the Valley Campaigns of 1864, participating in such major battles as the Battle of Opequon, the Battle of Fisher's Hill, and the Battle of Cedar Creek. At the end of the Shenandoah campaign, Hayes was promoted to brigadier general in October 1864 and brevetted major general. Although other presidents served in the Civil War, Hayes was the only one who was wounded (five times in all and four horses shot out from under him).
While commanding the 23rd Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Hayes met fellow future president William McKinley Jr. Hayes promoted McKinley twice under his military command, including once for an act of bravery at Antietam.
I've written about Hayes victory in the controversial election of 1876 over Samuel Tilden (hit the tag below if you want to find it), but haven't written about my major disappointment with Hayes as president, and that was how he put an end to the efforts of his predecessor, Ulysses Grant, at bringing about the reconstruction of the south.
The single most important issue facing the new Hayes administration was Reconstruction, the period after the Civil War where the South was rebuilt under primarily Republican state governments. Radical Reconstruction had been the hallmark of Republican policies since 1868, but it was already nearing its end when Hayes was running for the Presidency. In Congress Hayes had supported Radical Reconstruction. As Governor of Ohio, Hayes had approved of the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which banned racial discrimination at the polls. But Hayes succumbed to the feelings of the American public at the time.
The crumbling of Republican governments in the South signified the end of Reconstruction as the military could neither police southern states nor maintain Republican control. Much of the military was occupied with the Indian Wars in the West and so the Federal government's ability to maintain Reconstruction was already severely limited by the time of Hayes' presidency. Besides the troubling military situation, Hayes also faced a Democratic House of Representatives that refused to fund Reconstruction. Hayes also could not turn to Northern voters for support; most Northerners were concerned with the economy, not Reconstruction. Under such circumstances the question Hayes faced was not whether the troops should be removed but when they would be removed.
Hayes believed that southern whites, motivated by paternalism, would protect the rights of African Americans if given back control of state governments. He wanted to assimilate African Americans into white society with paternalistic protection by encouraging the growth of Republican Reconstruction ideals in states that were reluctant to enforce civil rights. Hayes did not regard making deals with Democrats as abandoning the civil rights agenda for African Americans. In 1880, the last year of his presidency, Hayes wrote in his diary an examination of his role in Reconstruction: "My task was to wipe out the color line, to abolish sectionalism, to end the war and bring peace." Hayes then defended his actions in regards to reconstruction insisting that "It is not true that tried Republicans at the South were totally abandoned."
Hayes seemed to be truly shocked by the old confederate officers who returned to power in the form of the Democratic party. He believed they would uphold the paternalistic ideal he had tried to imbue in the southern states. That perceived betrayal became the biggest disappointment of his Presidency. Many historians consider the withdrawal of federal troops as "the great betrayal" to African Americans. Without federal protection, African American voters faced discrimination and intimidation at the polls. Under the Hayes administration "Jim Crow" laws spread around the country, closing the book on racial equality for another 100 years.Though he ended Reconstruction, Hayes did veto bills repealing civil rights enforcement four times before finally signing one that satisfied his requirement for black rights.
Hayes decided not to run for re-election in 1880. He died of complications of a heart attack in Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio, at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday January 17, 1893. His last words were "I know that I'm going where Lucy [Hayes' wife] is." A funeral procession led by President Grover Cleveland and then Ohio Governor William McKinley, followed Hayes' body until he was interned in Oakwood Cemetery. Following the gift of his home to the state of Ohio for the Spiegel Grove State Park, he was re-interred there in 1916.
Hayes had a distinguished career as a soldier. As a brevetted brigadier general (a rank held only on the battlefield), he commanded the First Brigade of the Kanawha Division of the Army of West Virginia and turned back several raids. In 1864, Hayes showed gallantry in spearheading a frontal assault and temporarily taking command from George Crook at the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain and continued with Crook on to Charleston. Hayes continued commanding his Brigade during the Valley Campaigns of 1864, participating in such major battles as the Battle of Opequon, the Battle of Fisher's Hill, and the Battle of Cedar Creek. At the end of the Shenandoah campaign, Hayes was promoted to brigadier general in October 1864 and brevetted major general. Although other presidents served in the Civil War, Hayes was the only one who was wounded (five times in all and four horses shot out from under him).
While commanding the 23rd Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Hayes met fellow future president William McKinley Jr. Hayes promoted McKinley twice under his military command, including once for an act of bravery at Antietam.
I've written about Hayes victory in the controversial election of 1876 over Samuel Tilden (hit the tag below if you want to find it), but haven't written about my major disappointment with Hayes as president, and that was how he put an end to the efforts of his predecessor, Ulysses Grant, at bringing about the reconstruction of the south.
The single most important issue facing the new Hayes administration was Reconstruction, the period after the Civil War where the South was rebuilt under primarily Republican state governments. Radical Reconstruction had been the hallmark of Republican policies since 1868, but it was already nearing its end when Hayes was running for the Presidency. In Congress Hayes had supported Radical Reconstruction. As Governor of Ohio, Hayes had approved of the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which banned racial discrimination at the polls. But Hayes succumbed to the feelings of the American public at the time.
The crumbling of Republican governments in the South signified the end of Reconstruction as the military could neither police southern states nor maintain Republican control. Much of the military was occupied with the Indian Wars in the West and so the Federal government's ability to maintain Reconstruction was already severely limited by the time of Hayes' presidency. Besides the troubling military situation, Hayes also faced a Democratic House of Representatives that refused to fund Reconstruction. Hayes also could not turn to Northern voters for support; most Northerners were concerned with the economy, not Reconstruction. Under such circumstances the question Hayes faced was not whether the troops should be removed but when they would be removed.
Hayes believed that southern whites, motivated by paternalism, would protect the rights of African Americans if given back control of state governments. He wanted to assimilate African Americans into white society with paternalistic protection by encouraging the growth of Republican Reconstruction ideals in states that were reluctant to enforce civil rights. Hayes did not regard making deals with Democrats as abandoning the civil rights agenda for African Americans. In 1880, the last year of his presidency, Hayes wrote in his diary an examination of his role in Reconstruction: "My task was to wipe out the color line, to abolish sectionalism, to end the war and bring peace." Hayes then defended his actions in regards to reconstruction insisting that "It is not true that tried Republicans at the South were totally abandoned."
Hayes seemed to be truly shocked by the old confederate officers who returned to power in the form of the Democratic party. He believed they would uphold the paternalistic ideal he had tried to imbue in the southern states. That perceived betrayal became the biggest disappointment of his Presidency. Many historians consider the withdrawal of federal troops as "the great betrayal" to African Americans. Without federal protection, African American voters faced discrimination and intimidation at the polls. Under the Hayes administration "Jim Crow" laws spread around the country, closing the book on racial equality for another 100 years.Though he ended Reconstruction, Hayes did veto bills repealing civil rights enforcement four times before finally signing one that satisfied his requirement for black rights.
Hayes decided not to run for re-election in 1880. He died of complications of a heart attack in Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio, at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday January 17, 1893. His last words were "I know that I'm going where Lucy [Hayes' wife] is." A funeral procession led by President Grover Cleveland and then Ohio Governor William McKinley, followed Hayes' body until he was interned in Oakwood Cemetery. Following the gift of his home to the state of Ohio for the Spiegel Grove State Park, he was re-interred there in 1916.