Just two days before inauguration, the U.S. Congress declares Rutherford B. Hayes the winner of the 1876 U.S. presidential election even though Samuel J. Tilden had won the popular vote.

Rutherford B. Hayes

President of the United States from 1877 to 1881

Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. Hayes served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861. He was a staunch abolitionist who defended refugee slaves in court proceedings. At the start of the Civil War, he left…

1876 United States presidential election

Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 7, 1876. Republican Governor Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio very narrowly defeated Democratic Governor Samuel J. Tilden of New York. Following President Ulysses S. Grant's decision to retire after his second term,…

Samuel J. Tilden

Governor of New York from 1875 to 1876

Samuel Jones Tilden was an American politician who served as the 25th governor of New York and was the Democratic nominee in the disputed 1876 United States presidential election.