Rutherford B. Hayes — 19th President (1877–1881)

**Rutherford B. Hayes** won the most disputed election in American history — the Compromise of 1877 gave him the presidency in exchange for ending Reconstruction, effectively abandoning Black citizens in the South to decades of Jim Crow. He was personally honest, implemented civil service reform, and advocated for education and civil rights in rhetoric if not in action. Hayes represents the leader who makes the deal they think they have to make, and lives with the consequences.