Biography: First Lady Lucy Webb Hayes (1831-1889)

Lucy Webb Hayes was the wife of Rutherford B. Hayes, the nineteenth President of the United States. She was an ardent abolitionist and supporter of the temperance movement. Her awareness of and involvement in politics was a great influence on her husband.

Lucy Ware Webb was born on August 28, 1831 in Chillicothe, Ohio to Dr. James Webb and Maria Cook. Her father passed away when she was two. She was educated at Cincinnati Wesleyan Female College in Ohio, and believed that men and women had equal capacity for learning and understanding. She graduated with academic honors and a degree in the Liberal Arts, the first First Lady to graduate college.

Rutherford B. Hayes began practicing law in Cincinnati in January 1850, and the two met at a wedding reception. They married on December 30, 1852 and had eight children: Birchard Austin (1853-1926), Webb Cook (1856-1934), Rutherford Platt (1858-1927), Joseph Thompson (1861-1863), George Crook (1864-1866), Frances "Fanny" (1867-1950), Scott Russell (1871-1923), and Manning Force (1873-1874).

Hayes became an abolitionist, like his wife. As a lawyer, he defended runaway slaves in court. Although he did not wish for a war to end slavery, he commanded the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry when the Civil War broke out. Lucy did her part to support the troops and tend the wounded; for this, she was fondly remembered as "Mother Lucy."

After the war, Lucy fought for political policies and legislation which would grant civil rights and suffrage to the freed African-Americans. Despite this, however, she was not a supporter of women's suffrage, writing that a woman's duties as wife and mother left her unable to become too involved in politics, and believing that most women were not educated enough to vote well.

Rutherford B. Hayes was elected President in 1877. While Lucy did not support her husband's nomination at first, she stood by him during the contested election. She quickly became prominent in the press and popular with women's rights groups, who supported such an intelligent and educated First Lady. Although it is a popular myth that she was the first First Lady to be called by that title, it had been used previously for Mary Tood Lincoln and Harriet Lane, although not as commonly as it was in later years.

Lucy Hayes was devoted to the temperance movement, although she did not publically support it or join any temperance groups for fear of damaging her husband's political reputation. She was a popular hostess despite her decision not to serve any alcohol at White House events. She did gain the nickname "Lemonade Lucy" as a result of her temperance, but not until after her time in the White House.

After Rutherford's single presidential term ended, Lucy joined the Woman's Relief Corps, became president of the Woman's Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Church, and worked towards social reforms such as better conditions for prisoners. She suffered a stroke and passed away onJune 25, 1889. Grief-stricken without his wife, Rutherford passed away in 1892.

Sources

Biography of Lucy Hayes from The White House

Lucy Hayes Biography from the National First Ladies' Library

Lucy Ware Webb Hayes Biography from Women In History