Hayes, Rutherford Birchard in United States

Hayes, Rutherford Birchard

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• Hayes, Rutherford Birchard 2.

HAYES, Rutherford Birchard, 19th President of the United States: b. Delaware, Ohio, 4 Oct. 1822; d. Fremont, Ohio, 17 Jan. 1893. He was the third son of Rutherford and Sophia (Birchard) Hayes. His earliest paternal ancestor in America was George Hayes, a Scotchman, who, prior to 1680, settled in Windsor, Conn.; was married to Sarah Dibble, and in 1698 removed to the Salmon brook district, Simsbury, now in Granby township. In 1817 the family moved to Ohio from Brattleboro, Vt. An uncle took particular interest in young Rutherford, and supplied his eager demand for books. In 1834 he took up the study of Latin and Greek under the direction of Judge Sherman Finch, of Delaware, who had been a tutor at Yale. He continued his studies in the Norwalk (Ohio) Academy, and completed his preparatory course at Middletown, Conn., under Isaac Webb. At 16 he entered Kenyon College, from which he was graduated in 1842 as the valedictorian of his class. The following year he entered the law school of Harvard University, where he remained until 1845, at the same time studying French and German and attending the lectures of Agassiz on natural science and of Longfellow on literature. He was admitted to the Ohio bar at Marietta, 10 May 1845, established himself at Lower Sandusky, now Fremont, and in April 1846 formed a law psrtnership with Ralph P. Buckland, then a member of Congress and later a major-general in the Civil War. Early in 1848 his health having failed, he wanted to enlist in the war with Mexico, but he was forbidden to do so by his physician, and, after trying the climate of New England and of Canada, he spent the following winter in Texas. Returning to Ohio with health fully restored, he settled in Cincinnati in December 1849. In 1856 he was nominated for the office of common pleas judge, but declined the honor. His public life began two years later, when the office of city solicitor became vacant, and he was elected by the council to complete the unexpired term. In 1859 he was elected to the same office by the citizens, and he performed his duties with ability until April 1861, when he was defeated for re-election.

A Whig in politics, Hayes had cast his first vote for Henry Clay in 1844, his second for General Taylor in 1848, and his third for Winfield Scott in 1852; but having been opposed to slavery from his youth, he joined the Republican party and supported Frémont with enthusiasm in 1852, and Lincoln in 1860. On 13 April 1861, at a mass-meedng, called in response to President Lincoln’s proclamation asking for 75,000 troops, he was made chairman of the committee appointed to draw up resolutions, expressive of the intense feeling which had now been aroused. Forthwith the members of his literary club organized a military company and he was chosen captain. President Lincoln sent him a commission as colonel of volunteers, but he declined it. Later, 1 June 1861, he accepted a commission from Governor Dennison as major of the 23d Ohio Volunteer Infantry, a body of 900 men, of which W. S. Rosecrans was colonel and Stanley Matthews, lieutenant-colonel. This regiment was ordered into West Virginia, under Gen. George B. McClellan, to aid in driving the Confederates from that section. From 19 Sept. 1861 Major Hayes was judge-advocate of the Department of the Ohio for about two months. During the summer of 1862 his command was transferred to the Army of the Potomac, and participated in the battle of South Mountain, where, though wounded in the arm, he led a charge and held his position at the head of his men. For his conspicuous gallantry on this occasion, he was made colonel of the 23d Regiment on 24 Oct. 1862. He was detailed from his regiment to act as brigadier-general in command of the celebrated Kanawha division; checked the raid of the Confederate, John Morgan, in July 1863, and aided in preventing his force from re-crossing the Ohio and in compelling its leader to surrender. He commanded a brigade under General Crook in the spring of 1864, which took pari in cutting the principal lines of communication between Richmond and the Southwest, and he led it in storming a fortified position on the crest of Clay’s Mountain. Later, still under Crook, he joined Hunter’s army in the march against Lynchburg, and covered the retreat in the dangerous passage of the Alleghanies. In the first battle of Winchester, 24 July 1864, Colonel Hayes and Col. James Mulligan were ordered to charge what proved to be a greatly superior force. Mulligan fell, but Hayes flanked and conducted the retreat of his brigade with great intrepidity and skill, eventually checking the pursuit. At Perryville he also served with credit and at the second battle of Winchester, 19 Sept. 1864, performed an act of signal bravery. Advancing against a battery situated on an eminence, he suddenly came to a deep slough, some 50 yards in width.

Nevertheless, he plunged in at once, and, although his horse sank in the mire, he extricated himself, climbed to the top of the other bank, and, with about 40 who followed, charged the battery and put its defenders to flight. He led a division at Fisher’s Hill, 22 Sept. 1864, where he gained the enemy’s rear and routed them, capturing seven pieces of artillery. A month later, he was engaged at Cedar Creek, where while in retreat he had a horse shot under him and he was slightly wounded in the head. A few days later he was made brigadier-general and on 13 March 1865 was brevetted major-general for his distinguished services at Fisher’s Hill and Cedar Creek. While still in the army, 6 Aug. 1864, he was nominated for Congress from the Second Ohio district. He was elected to the 39th Congress, and he was nominated for governor by the soldiers in the field. In August 1866, he was renominated by acclamation and was elected to the 40th Congress by a large majority. In Congress he was appointed chairman of the library committee and succeeded in greatly amending the copyright law, as well as in trebling the area, contents and usefulness of the Congressional library. His votes in matters affecting the reconstruction of the South were given with his party; his first vote was for a resolution affirming the sacredness of the public debt and denouncing every form of repudiation. He sustained the movement for the impeachment of President Johnson. In 1867 he was nominated for Governor of Ohio by the Republicans. He was elected with his Republican associates in November. He steadily increased in personal popularity and was re-elected governor in 1869. During his administration he carried out a comprehensive geological survey of Ohio, which was of great advantage in the development of the mineral resources of the State. The State debt was reduced by nearly $3,000,000 and considerable reforms brought about in regard to the debt incurring powers of municipalities. In 1872, he returned to Cincinnati determined to retire from public life, and in 1873 he moved to his old home at Frémont. In 1875, however, he was nominated governor and was with difficulty induced to accept the nomination. The great issue of the campaign was the money question, which though properly a national issue, had been forced into State politics. There were those who believed and publicly contended that all that was needed to make money was the stamp of the government of the United States, that it was not necessary to have back of it any intrinsic value. Hayes, however, stood for “sound money,” and after an active campaign won the election, thus becoming governor of Ohio for the third time.