Rutherford B. Hayes was the 19th president of the U.S. And while his road to the White House was a controversial one, he like many presidents, has memorials named in his honor.
The Rutherford B Hayes Presidential Center is the former estate of Hayes, which features home tours, a library, a museum, and Hayes' grave site. It is located at Spiegel Grove in Fremont, Ohio. The museum was started by Col. Webb Cook Hayes and his siblings, the second son of Rutherford B. Hayes. Groundbreaking for the building began in 1912 and was opened in 1916. Major additions have occurred within the past 100 years with the additions of libraries, galleries and several new wings of the building. The home Rutherford shared with his family is also now a monument to his name known as the “Hayes Estate.”
There is also a statue for Hayes in
Rapid City, South Dakota. The statue is located at 4th and Saint Joseph streets.
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In addition,
the These Are My Jewels Monument located in Columbus, Ohio, houses a statue of various presidents, including Hayes.
Hayes won his nomination over President Ulysses S. Grant and Speaker of the House James Blaine. His first year as president culminated in the withdrawal of troops from states under occupation and made improvements to
infrastructure in the South, History.com noted. Many Republicans were dissatisfied by these actions and became even more frustrated with his plan for civil service reform. Hayes is very well-known for attempting to force Chester Arthur’s resignation as the collector of the Port of New York. After a monotone term as president, Hayes declined to run again and retired from politics.
Hayes was born on Oct. 4, 1822, in Delaware, Ohio, to Rutherford Hayes Jr. and Sophia Hayes. His father was a farmer who died before Hayes was born. Hayes and his sister, Fanny, were raised by their mother and their uncle, Sardis, in Sandusky, Ohio. Hayes attended Kenyon College in Ohio and earned his law degree from Harvard Law in 1845. Upon graduation, Hayes began practicing law and later moved to Cincinnati. He joined the Republican Party as an opponent of slavery.
In 1852, Rutherford married Lucy Webb and the couple went on to have eight children. Only five of them survived childhood.
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