Rutherford Birchard Hayes was an American congressman, governor of Ohio and 19th president of the United States (from 1877 to 1881). Hayes was a lawyer who defended slaves in court proceedings, he fought and was seriously wounded in the Union Army during the American Civil War. His presidency started during the Reconstruction Era, a period that made it possible for the African Americans to have the same level of freedom and education as the rest of the citizens.
Hayes was born in Delaware, Ohio, on October 4, 1822. He was educated in different schools in Delaware, Norwalk, Ohio and Middletown, Connecticut. In 1842, he graduated at the top of his class from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. Three years later, in 1845, he earned a law degree from Harvard University. In 1876, Hayes was elected as president in one of the most contentious elections in national history.