Presidental Election

                       The Presidential Election of 1876

Now that our Presidential Election 2024 is over, I wanted to look back in history.

In 1876, Rutherford B. Hayes, a Republican, and Samuel J. Tilden, a Democrat, had electoral votes counted, and neither had a majority of votes as they came in.  Louisiana, South Carolina, and Florida together had 19 electoral votes, but their votes were disputed as not accurate. 

Charges flew back and forth between the two parties. Congress created a special commission to decide the election.  Five members came from the Senate -three Republicans and two Democrats. Five members came from the House, three Democrats and two Republicans, five from the Supreme Court, two Democrats and two Republicans, and one independent judge.

The panel said the South Carolina and Louisiana votes would go to Hayes. Then, they began investigating Florida's votes. 

The Florida election officials went to Tilden's people and said that if they were paid two hundred thousand dollars, they could ensure that the commission would award the electoral votes to Mr. Tilden. 

What to do?

Mr. Tilden refused the offer.

All the electoral votes went to Mr. Hayes, who won the presidency.

Mr. Tilden won with 247,000 more popular votes than Hays, but now, Florida's electoral votes went to Hayes. The electoral votes ended 185 to 184. Rutherford B. Hayes became our 19th President because Tilden was honest.  It was not considered if Hayes was presented the same offer as Mr. Tilden. 

Mr. Hayes served in the Civil War, was elected to Congress, and was governor of Ohio twice.

Pages 123-124 of Shocking Secrets of American History by Bill Coate

The moral of the story is that if Tilden had agreed to pay the $200,000, history would have found out, and he would be forever remembered as a crook and usurper of the White House. He is now remembered as an honorable man. 

With the President comes a First Lady. Lucy Ware Webb Hayes was a descendant of the Puritans of New England. She graduated from Wesleyan College, the first women's college.

She worked tirelessly for women suffrage and an ardent crusader for better living conditions for the poor.

She would not allow liquor to be served at the White House, and she was known as the Lemonade Lady. The Women's Christian Temperance Union gave the White House a full-length portrait of Mrs. Hayes in ruby-colored velvet holding American Beauty Roses.

First Ladies of the White House by Gertrude Zeth Brooks Pages 56,57,58.