Mimoza Veliu May 4, 2017 5th Hour Lucy Hayes Lucy Hayes is the first lady of United States, she was married Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th president of the United States. Lucy has done a lot of work that she put into the White House that helped shape it to what it is today, and the rules. Lucy is one the most remembered first ladies for all the stuff she did to help this nation. Lucy Hayes was born on August 28, 1831 in Chillicothe Ohio. Lucy’s birthplace is now a museum(Lucy Hayes Heritage Center). Her father, Dr. James Webb was born on March 17, 1795 in Lexington, Kentucky. Dr. James Webb was a physician who died on July 1, 1833 in Lexington Kentucky. Despite his family's ownership of slaves, James was an abolitionist. After capturing …show more content…
She was the first lady to have graduated from college, receiving her degree from Wesleyan Female College. Her decision to ban alcohol from White House events earned her the nickname “Lemonade Lucy” from her critics, but she was a popular first lady, and her public support and dedication to a variety of causes, including adequate funding for mental health care and education, set a standard for political activity among first ladies. Lucy met her future husband while she was a student at Ohio Wesleyan Preparatory Academy in Delaware, Ohio, then a Harvard Law School graduate visiting his hometown.They were married at the Webb family home on December 30, 1852. Lucy encouraged Hayes’s participation in the Civil War, but she endured a major scare when he was seriously wounded at the Battle of South Mountain in September 1862. Given the wrong information about his whereabouts, she frantically searched the Washington, D.C. hospitals before finally locating him in Middletown, …show more content…
Lucy was was well loved by her staff and visitors alike. She also hated formal state dinners and that she felt comfortable at informal gatherings. Despite the lack of alcohol, Lucy was a great hostess. Lucy continued to work for veterans' benefits, Native American welfare, rehabilitation of the South, and young people while in the White House. She went on frequent trips to Gallaudet College (even supporting various students), the National Deaf Mute College, and the Hampton Institute (where she sponsored a scholarship for Native American students). Contributed generously to Washington charities, and often sent servants on nightly errands delivering a note and money to someone in need. Lucy also started what has become a tradition: the Easter egg roll. When children were banned from rolling eggs on the Capitol grounds, she invited them to use the White House lawn on the Monday after Easter. By the time she left Washington, Lucy was acclaimed the "most widely known and popular President's wife the country has known." And it was Lucy who was dubbed the title of "First Lady" -- courtesy of Mary Clemmer Ames, a reporter who called her "the first lady of the land," in an account of President Hayes' inauguration. When he had accepted the presidency, Rutherford said he would only serve one term and he kept his word. And, for as much as she enjoyed Washington, Lucy was also ready to leave. They returned to Spiegel Grove in March, 1881.