Hayes was a studious, good-natured man who enjoyed books more than politics. Ohio Republicans nominated him for Congress while he was fighting in the Civil War. Hayes refused to campaign. He declared that any officer who "would abandon his post to electioneer for a seat in Congress, ought to be scalped." Hayes was elected, but did not take his seat until after the war. He later served three terms as governor of Ohio.
When Hayes became President, the nation was suffering from the business depression and the political scandals of the previous administration of Ulysses S. Grant. The unsolved problem of Reconstruction in the South still divided the American people, even though the Civil War had ended 12 years before. Hayes was not popular at first. Democrats charged he had "stolen" the election. His fellow Republicans were bitter because he refused to give special favors to party politicians.
By the time Hayes left office, most Americans respected him for his sincerity and honesty. He had promised to end Reconstruction, and he did. Within two months after he took office, he removed the last federal troops from statehouses in the South. Hayes also put the government on the path toward civil service reform. Throughout his career, Hayes tried to live by his motto: "He serves his party best who serves his country best."
During Hayes's administration, the United States continued its remarkable growth. The nation became more industrialized than ever before, and labor unions gained thousands of new members. The population of New York City soared above a million. Civil War General Lew Wallace won nationwide fame for his novel Ben-Hur. And Thomas A. Edison visited the White House to demonstrate his favorite invention, the phonograph.
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