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Rutherford B. Hayes letter

 Collection — Folder: S616
Identifier: S0616

Scope and Contents

This collection contains a letter from Rutherford B. Hayes to Benjamin Harrison on April 12, 1890 expressing his gratification in the actions of the president in the matter of the Ohio Pension Agency.

Dates

  • 1890 April 12

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.

Historical Note

The Dependent and Disability Pension Act was passed by the United States Congress and signed into law by President Benjamin Harrison on June 27, 1890. The act was passed to provide pensions for veterans of the Civil War who had served at least ninety days, had received an honorable discharge, and had a disability "not the result of their own vicious habits" that prevented them from performing manual labor and earning an income. If they qualified, the veterans would receive from $6 to $12 a month depending on the extent of the disablility. The act also provided for widows of Civil War veterans with an additional monthly allowance for each child under 16 years of age. In 1890, there were 18 pension agencies located around the country and one was located in Columbus, Ohio.

Sources:

United States Pension Bureau. Annual Report of the Commissioner of Pensions to the Secretary of the Interior. Washington: GPO, 1897.

Glasson, William Henry. Federal Military Pensions in the United States. New York: Oxford University Press, 1918.

Biographical Note

Rutherford B. Hayes, was born October 4, 1822 in Delaware, Ohio to Rutherford and Sophia Birchard Hayes. Hayes was a graduate of Kenyon College and became a successful lawyer in Cincinnati, Ohio. His opposition to slavery drew him to the Republican Party. In 1852, he married Lucy Ware Webb and they had eight children. Hayes served in the Ohio Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, rising to the rank of major-general. He served one term as a member of Congress, three terms as Governor of Ohio, before being elected as the 19th President of the United States (1877-1881). He died January 17, 1893 at the age of 70.

Benjamin Harrison was born on August 20, 1833, in North Bend, Ohio to John Scott Harrison and Elizabeth Irwin Harrison. He was a grandson of President William Henry Harrison and the great-grandson of Benjamin Harrison V, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. After graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, he studied law. He married Caroline Scott (1832-1892) in 1853 and they had two children. After being admitted to the bar, the Harrisons moved to Indianapolis, Indiana in 1854. Harrison served as commander of the 70th Regiment Indiana Infantry during the Civil War, attaining the rank of brigadier-general by the war's end. Harrison served as Indiana's senator (1881-1887) and then the 23rd President of the United States (1889-1893). He married Mary Scott Lord Dimmick Harrison (1858-1948) in 1896 and they had one child. Harrison died on March 13, 1901.

Sources:

"Harrison, Benjamin." Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site. Accessed Auguts 17, 2015. http://www.bhpsite.org/learn/benjamin-harrison-1.

"Hayes, Rutherford B." The Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center. Accessed Auguts 17, 2015. http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/president.

Extent

0.01 Cubic Feet (1 folder)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged chronologically.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a donation.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2015/08/17 by Laura Eliason. EAD finding aid created 2015/08/17 by Laura Eliason.

Creator

Title
Rutherford B. Hayes letter
Status
Completed
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository

Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671