Rutherford B. Hayes (146)
Hayes served as the 19th President who earned a reputation for bravery during the Civil War where he was wounded five times. He was elected President in 1876, in one of the most contentious elections in national history. He lost the popular vote to Democrat Samuel Tilden, but won a disputed electoral college vote after a Congressional commision awarded him 20 contested electoral votes. This resulted in the Compromise of 1877, where the Democrats agreed to Hayes’ Presidency provided he withdraw remaining US troops protecting Republican office holders in the South, officially ending the Reconstruction Era. he started the efforts that led to civil service reform, and attempted to reconcile the divisions left by the Civil War and Reconstruction. He kept his pledge not to run for a second term. He was an active proponent for educational charities for children.
