Home About Chat Users Issues Party Candidates Polling Firms Media News Polls Calendar Key Races United States President Senate House Governors International

New User Account
"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource." 
Email: Password:

  Webb Hayes, Lucy Ware
CANDIDATE DETAILS
AffiliationRepublican  
 
NameLucy Ware Webb Hayes
Address
, Ohio , United States
EmailNone
WebsiteNone
Born August 28, 1831
DiedJune 25, 1889 (57 years)
ContributorThomas Walker
Last ModifedChronicler
Oct 05, 2009 06:23pm
Tags
InfoBorn: August 28, 1831 Chillicothe, Ohio

Died: June 25, 1889 Fremont, Ohio

Father: Dr. James Webb (d. 1833)

Mother: Maria Cook Webb (d. 1866)

Ancestry: English

Siblings: 2 brothers, Dr. James Webb, Dr. Joseph Webb

Physical Description: 5� 4� tall, black hair (with a few reddish strands), brown eyes with sloping eyebrows, a wide mouth and strong cheekbones. Later in life, she weighed about 160 pounds and had high blood pressure. Her hands were large but graceful, and she played the guitar as well as the piano. She had a fine voice. She wore her hair severely parted in the middle with a Spanish-style comb at the back. She kept the same hairstyle throughout her life. She had a face made for smiles.

Religion: Methodist

Education: Her first schooling was at Miss Baskerville's in Chillicothe, Ohio, where she was known for her loyalty, good spirits and kind heart. Later, after her mother moved the family to Delaware, Ohio (Lucy's father died when she was two), Lucy joined her brothers at the Ohio Wesleyan where the boys studied to become doctors. She attended classes there for about six years. When Lucy became interested in a divinity student there, Maria Cook Webb sent her to school at the Wesleyan Female College north of Cincinnati. She joined the Lyceum and graduated from college with honors in 1850. Her commencement essay was called, "The Influence of Christianity on National Prosperity." She was the first First Lady with a college degree.

Husband: Rutherford Birchard Hayes (1822 - 1893)

Courtship and Marriage: Lucy first met Hayes when she was fourteen and he was twenty-three. They were not interested in each other then, but "Mother" Hayes and "Mother" Webb thought they would make a good match. Hayes later visited Lucy in college when he was starting his law practice in Cincinnati. They went to poetry readings, lectures, picnics, and her name began to appear more and more frequently in his diary. They were engaged a year and a half before they were married in her mother's parlor on 12/30/1852.

Age at Marriage: 21 years, 124 days

Personality: Outgoing, friendly, almost always cheerful, Lucy loved to sing and whistle (she knew many bird calls). She was rarely ill, but after bearing eight children, the pregnancies took a heavy toll on her health. Strongly against slavery, she influenced her husband�s anti-slavery stance. She showed an early interest in the suffrage movement through the influence of her sister-in-law, Fanny Hayes Platt, but with Fanny�s death in 1855, Lucy�s interest faded. She strongly believed in temperance, but women�s rights had little impact on her. She was very charity-minded. While First Lady, she was known to spend $900 a month on the homeless.

Children:

1. Birchard Austin Hayes (1853 � 1926)

2. Webb Cook Hayes (1856 � 1934)

3. Rutherford Platt Hayes (1858 � 1927)

4. Joseph Thompson Hayes (1861 � 1863)

5. George Crook Hayes (1864 � 1866)

6. Fanny Hayes Smith (1867 � 1950)

7. Scott Russell Hayes (1871 � 1923)

8. Manning Force Hayes (1873 � 1874)

Years Before the White House: Most of Lucy Hayes� early married years were spent in Cincinnati. She later cared for her mother and her mother-in-law, both of whom died in the fall of 1866). After the Civil War started, Lucy deplored being a woman, wishing she could take up arms for her country. She spent a substantial amount of time with her husband in camp with the 23rd Ohio, earning the nickname �Mother of the Regiment.� She frequently spent her time in the hospitals, always returning, as her husband noted, �in tears�. While Hayes served as Governor of Ohio for two terms, Lucy Hayes canvassed politically for better orphanages, insane asylums and schools. She noted that she was becoming quite a politician. After the death of Hayes� uncle, Sardis Birchard, the Hayes family moved into their Fremont home, Spiegel Grove. By the time of the election of 1876, Lucy Hayes had a background of experience and ability to bring to the White House. That election was one of the worst in our history, and it wasn�t until March 1, 1877 that Rutherford B. Hayes was declared the winner.

First Lady: Lucy Hayes came into the White House on a crest of popularity that never died for her. She was universally popular and loved. Her hairstyle, her manner, her dress were widely copied. There were jokes about her temperance stand � �Water flowed like wine in the Hayes White House.� But, in actuality, the temperance stance was Hayes� decision. Lucy supported his decision, but it did not originate with her. The only time they served wine was for the April, 1877 reception for the Grand Dukes Alexis and Constantine, sons of Tsar Alexander II of Russia. Mrs. Hayes was a great believer in education and allowed the staff to take time off to pursue their studies. She performed her official hostess duties without much joy, but with graciousness. She celebrated her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary on December 30, 1877 in the White House. As First Lady, Lucy Hayes commissioned an Ohio artist paint portraits of all the Presidents who didn�t already have a portrait in the White House. She later had the same artist paint a full-length portrait of Martha Washington to hang opposite that of George Washington. In 1880, she crossed the country, from Washington to San Francisco, with her husband earning her the name �First Lady of the Land�. It was not the first time the title had been used, but it was the first time it was used widely and publicly. The homeless often came to the White House where Lucy�s generous spirit made sure they were fed and given money. She refused to be drawn into the suffrage issue. This earned her a blackeye from historians later, but she believed in furthering education first. Lucy�s influence was strong, as her husband acknowledged, but it was strictly behind the scenes. No First Lady�s leaving was lamented more by the public than hers.

Later Years: Aside from her work with the Methodist Missionary Society, Lucy Hayes remained in the background in their home in Fremont, Ohio. She made speeches (very reluctantly) on behalf of the Missionary Society. She continued a friendship with Lucretia Garfield and attended the Centennial celebrations of the presidency at the request of Caroline Harrison.

Death: June 25, 1889 � after being stricken on June 22nd by a stroke

Age at Death: 57 years, 301 days

Burial: Fremont City Cemetery until 1915 when the bodies of President and Mrs. Hayes were re-interred at Spiegel Grove.

Legacy: Lucy Webb Hayes managed to maintain her popularity the four years of her husband�s presidency by being herself. She had a student�s interest in the history of the house. She filled in gaps in the portrait gallery of the Presidents and added her own portrait in 1881. Education was her major interest. This caused her decline in interest in suffrage, because she felt that women needed to be better educated before they should be allowed to vote. Her interest in America was seen in her unusual choice of White House china, which reflected (however poorly) the flora and fauna of this country. She was the ideal woman of the 19th century.




JOB APPROVAL POLLS

BOOKS
Title Purchase Contributor

EVENTS
Start Date End Date Type Title Contributor

NEWS
Date Category Headline Article Contributor

DISCUSSION
Importance? 0.00000 Average

FAMILY
Husband Rutherford B. Hayes Dec 30, 1852-Jun 25, 1889
Son Birchard Austin Hayes 1853-1926
Son James Webb Cook Hayes 1856-1934
Son Rutherford Platt Hayes 1858-1927
Son Joseph "Jody" Thompson Hayes 1861-1863
Son George Crook Hayes 1864-1866
Daughter Fanny Hayes Smith 1867-1950
Son Scott Russell Hayes 1871-1923
Son Manning Force Hayes 1873-1874

INFORMATION LINKS
RACES
  11/07/1876 US First Lady Won 50.14% (+0.27%)
ENDORSEMENTS