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Secondary sourceBook1914

The Life of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, volume 1

Charles Richard Williams and William Henry Smith · 1914

A detailed 1914 biography of Hayes covering his life and presidency, written by Charles Richard Williams with William Henry Smith.

A detailed biography of Hayes's life, covering the tense events surrounding his disputed election and inauguration.

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Plain blue cloth book cover with vertical ribbed texture and a darker spine along the left edge. No title or text is visible.
Charles Richard Williams and William Henry Smith, The Life of Rutherford Birchard Hayes, 1914, book cover.

About this source

What it is

This book is a biography of Rutherford B. Hayes, written by Charles Richard Williams with William Henry Smith, published in 1914. This volume covers events including his journey to Washington amid the disputed election count that preceded his presidency.

Why it matters

Biographies written soon after a subject's death, drawing on letters and personal accounts, give detailed narratives that shape how later generations understand a president's life, including tense moments like concerns over Hayes's safety during the contested 1876 election.

Look closer

  • Why might people have worried about Hayes's safety while he traveled to his inauguration?
  • What does the quoted letter about watching for danger reveal about the political tensions of the time?
  • How might a biography written decades later differ from one written during a person's lifetime?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Rutherford B. Hayes on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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