Rutherford B. Hayes

A Respectable, but seldom remembered President. Hayes’s presidency is often blamed for ending reconstruction by a “corrupt bargain”, but despite popular belief, by this point in history Reconstruction was disliked by the American public. Due to these circumstances no matter who won the election of 1876, Whether that be the Progressive Republican candidate, or the Conservative Democratic candidate (this was before the party switch, before the 60’s democrats were largely conservative), Reconstruction would have ended regardless. Another thing of note is that the corrupt bargain that his critics mention had no historical written records, and seems to mostly be based on hearsay.