Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson) Grant

Born in Point Pleasant, Ohio, in 1822, Grant attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served in the Mexican-American War before leaving the army. When the Civil War began, he returned to service and rose with remarkable speed, winning major victories at places including Fort Donelson, Vicksburg, and eventually Appomattox, where Robert E. Lee surrendered.

Grant's fame as the Union's commanding general carried him to the presidency in 1869. As president, he supported Reconstruction and efforts to protect the rights of formerly enslaved people, though his administration was also damaged by scandals involving some of his associates.

In his final years, after financial losses and while seriously ill, he completed his Personal Memoirs, a work that has been widely admired for its clarity and directness. He died in 1885, but his reputation has endured through both his military leadership and his plainspoken writing.