The Life, Public Services and Select Speeches of Rutherford B. Hayes

The work opens with a vivid portrait of Rutherford B. Hayes’s deep‑rooted family history, tracing his line from a 17th‑century Scottish settler through generations of New England pioneers, soldiers, and public servants. Tales of frontier battles, captivity, and the steadfast values of his grandparents and parents create a rich backdrop that helps explain the character of the future president.

From these foundations the narrative follows Hayes’s own early years, his education, and his first steps into law and military service. The biography then weaves in a selection of his most memorable speeches, offering listeners a clear sense of his political philosophy and the moral convictions that guided his rise in public life. By the close of the first act, listeners will understand how a lineage of resilience and duty shaped the man who would later navigate the nation’s most turbulent post‑war challenges.