Summary: Episode 6: Rutherford B. Hayes v. the World. Alex and his guests take a deep dive on Central Ohio’s only President and the most controversial election in US history. It’s time to talk some Rutherford B. Hayes, our 19th President (1877-1881). We visit the Hayes Presidential Museum & Library in Fremont, Ohio to discuss Rud’s career and his childhood in Delaware, Ohio. From Civil War general to Congressman and Governor to his run for the White House in 1876 we chat with Dustin McLochlin, historian from the Hayes Museum. Author Roy Morris, Jr. joins the show to explain the most complicated and controversial election in American history: the Election of 1876. Did Hayes actually lose the election against Democrat Samuel Tilden? Roy discuss his excellent book about the election, Fraud of the Century (Simon & Schuster, 2003). Buy the book here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Fraud-of-the-Century/Roy-Jr-Morris/9780743255523 We’re also joined by Zak Taylor, political scientist and professor at Georgia Tech, to discuss why Hayes’ presidency is vastly underrated and how the Hayes administration brought the country out of the Panic of 1873 and set the U.S. on a path for 50 years of economic growth. David Simmons joins to discuss Hayes’ central role in the founding of the Ohio State University as the Governor of Ohio in 1870 and later in post-presidency years as a Trustee of the University. We focus on the “stolen” election of 1876 and why President Hayes was known as “Rutherfraud” B. Hayes during his early years in the White House. But also discover that Hayes was a much better President than historians realize. Also, we study Hayes’ often criticized role in ending Reconstruction in the South and why the popular belief that he was singlehandedly responsible for the end of the Reconstruction Era is incorrect. Roy Morris lays out the striking similarities between the Election of 1876 and the more recent controversial Election of 2000 (Bush v. Gore). Rate/review the show on iTunes and email us ohiovtheworld@gmail.com. Don’t forget to go visit Dustin McLochlin at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museum in Fremont, OH. www.rbhayes.org.
