6. Rutherford B. Hayes
You would think that someone who gained a reputation for bravery in combat during the Civil War, became a lawyer and staunch abolitionist who defended refugee slaves in court proceedings, and began the annual White House Easter Egg Roll might be remembered more fondly. Unfortunately, history remembers Rutherford B. Hayes for all the wrong reasons.
After serving in Congress from 1865 to 1867 as a Republican. Hayes left Congress to run for governor of Ohio. After serving nearly three terms as governor, he would be involved in one of the most contentious presidential elections in American history, barely scraping into office thanks only to a congressional commission’s narrow vote. The election was so bitterly divisive that Hayes had to have his inauguration ceremony held in secret under tight security for fear of an insurrection.
In just his first year of office, Hayes would be faced with the largest labor uprising to date, the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. Hayes would make unwanted history by becoming the first President to use federal troops to break a strike against a private company. When the troops opened fire on workers and killed dozens of innocent people, his reputation was forever tarnished.
