RUTHERFORD B. HAYES PRESIDENTIAL CENTER FREMONT, OHIO

I am pleased to announce that the Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont, Ohio now carries Hiram's Honor.  President Hayes was a Civil War officer (see photo) and Hiram's Honor fits well with this story of Ohio in the Civil War. When the Civil War began, Hayes offered his services to the state of Ohio. Governor William Dennison appointed him to the rank of major in the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He saw much active service, rising to the rank of major general. He was severely wounded on September 14, 1862, at the Battle of South Mountain. In 1864, while still in the army, he was elected to Congress (despite his refusal to campaign). Hayes did not take his seat until the Union had won the war. He was reelected in 1866. The following year Ohio voters elected him governor. He retired at the close of his second term in 1872, and moved to Fremont in May 1873. After winning a third term in 1875, the Republican Party chose Hayes as its presidential candidate. He won the 1876 election only after the creation of a special commission to decide disputed electoral votes. Because of the tension surrounding his election, Hayes secretly took the oath of office on Saturday, March 3, 1877, in the Red Room of the White House.  From the Hayes Presidential Center on the web at http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/.