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Rutherford B. Hayes

Rutherford B. Hayes
Artist
Eliphalet Frazer Andrews, 11 Jun 1835 - 19 Mar 1915
Sitter
Rutherford Birchard Hayes, 4 Oct 1822 - 17 Jan 1893
Date
1881
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Stretcher: 76.5 × 64.1cm (30 1/8 × 25 1/4")
Frame: 100 × 87.3 × 12.1cm (39 3/8 × 34 3/8 × 4 3/4")
Topic
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Mustache
Personal Attribute\Facial Hair\Beard
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Bowtie
Rutherford Birchard Hayes: Male
Rutherford Birchard Hayes: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Rutherford Birchard Hayes: Politics and Government\President of US
Rutherford Birchard Hayes: Military and Intelligence\Army\Officer\Brigadier General
Rutherford Birchard Hayes: Politics and Government\US Congressman\Ohio
Rutherford Birchard Hayes: Politics and Government\Governor\Ohio
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift from the Trustees of the Corcoran Gallery of Art (Museum Purchase, Gallery Fund) The Corcoran Gallery of Art, one of the country’s first private museums, was established in 1869 to promote art and American genius. In 2014 the Works from the Corcoran Collection were distributed to institutions in Washington, D.C.
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Object number
NPG.2019.11
Exhibition Label
Nineteenth president, 1877–1881
Rutherford B. Hayes, a Union veteran and Ohio governor, became president following the contested 1876 election. Initial returns showed Democrat Samuel J. Tilden leading Hayes by nearly 250,000 popular votes and close to winning the Electoral College. Disputed results in Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina led to a four-month legal battle. Following negotiations, Hayes assumed the presidency in return for concessions, including the removal of troops stationed in former Confederate states since the beginning of the post-Civil War period known as Reconstruction. Historians later named this informal agreement the Compromise of 1877.
During his inauguration, Hayes pledged to enact “policy which will forever wipe out in our political affairs the color line and the distinction between North and South.” However, left without military protection, African Americans faced discrimination, disenfranchisement, and violent attacks from white terrorist groups.
Hayes prohibited federal employees from participating in partisan events and sent soldiers to end the 1877 Great Railroad Strike. His administration negotiated with China to restrict immigration. Further, although he continued to forcefully displace Indigenous peoples, he acknowledged, “many, if not most, of our Indian wars have had their origins in broken promises and acts of injustice on our part.”
19no presidente, 1877–1881
Rutherford B. Hayes, veterano del Ejército de la Unión y gobernador de Ohio, asumió la presidencia tras la reñida elección de 1876. Según los conteos iniciales, el demócrata Samuel J. Tilden llevaba la delantera por 250,000 votos populares e iba a ganar los del Colegio Electoral. Sin embargo, Florida, Luisiana y Carolina del Sur disputaron los resultados en una batalla legal de cuatro meses. Tras las negociaciones, Hayes asumió la presidencia a cambio de concesiones tales como el retiro de las tropas que ocupaban los antiguos estados confederados desde el fin de la Guerra Civil, durante la llamada Reconstrucción. Los historiadores dieron a este acuerdo informal el nombre de Compromiso de 1877.
Durante su investidura, Hayes juró promulgar “directrices que eliminen para siempre de nuestra política la segregación racial y la distinción entre el norte y el sur”. Pero sin protección militar, los afroamericanos fueron víctimas de discriminación, privación de derechos y ataques violentos por grupos terroristas blancos.
Hayes prohibió a los empleados federales participar en eventos partidistas y envió soldados a sofocar la gran huelga ferroviaria de 1877. Su gobierno negoció con China para restringir la inmigración. Y aunque fomentó el desplazamiento forzado de los pueblos indígenas, reconoció que “muchas de nuestras guerras con los indios, si no todas, fueron motivadas por promesas incumplidas y actos de injusticia de nuestra parte”.
Provenance
Eliphalet Frazer Andrews [1835-1915], 1881-1882; purchased by the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 1882; Gift to NPG, 2019.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Exhibition
America's Presidents (Reinstallation September 2017)
On View
NPG, West Gallery 210