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Rutherford B. Hayes: Nineteenth President of the United States (Encyclopedia of Presidents)

Rutherford B. Hayes: Nineteenth President of the United States (Encyclopedia of Presidents)

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The story of the President who ended Reconstruction
Review: There is an argument that the most successful president in American History was James K. Polk, who ran on a four point platform (e.g., get the northwest territory), achieved all four of his objectives, and retired after a single term in the White House. An argument could be made that in the last half of the 19th century the most successful president was Rutherford B. Hayes (must have something to do with middle initials). Of course any young students looking over this volume in the Encyclopedia of Presidents series is going to be struck by the parallels between the disputed election of 1876 and what happened in Florida in 2000, especially since Florida was one of the four southern states in dispute back then. But a careful reading of this juvenile biography by Zachary Kent will show that Hayes, like Polk, achieved most of his political objectives, despite being disparaged by disgruntled Democrats as "his fradulency."

As is usually the case with the volumes in this particular series, Kent begins his story in media res, with Hayes as a Colonel of the Twenty-Third Ohio Infantry Regiment during the Civil War (where he was the only future president to be wounded during the war, albeit five times). Then we go back and look at Hayes education and marriage, his service during the war, and his entry into politics. Of course an entire chapter is devoted to the disputed election between Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden, but the following chapter devoted to Hayes's presidency indicates he left the nation more united and more prosperous than when he entered the White House. Although he ended Reconstruction by pulling Federal troops out of the south, Hayes also had an impact by embracing new technology, have a telephone and running water installed in the White House. However, Kent does not going into detail on some of Hayes's other success, both at home and abroad, so I do think more space should have been devoted to his accomplishments in office. Hayes extensively toured the nation in a Pullman car and the term "First Lady" was first used to refer to his wife, Lucy. The book is illustrated with historic photographs and some choice political cartoons from the period, the latter being one of the chief assets of the series. As always, the Encyclopedia of Presidents series provides considerably more information than young readers or their teachers will find in a standard American history textbook.


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