Discover the Unexpected: Top 9 Fascinating and Fun Facts About President Rutherford B. Hayes

1. Lemonade Lucy's Sober White House

It's no coincidence that Rutherford B. Hayes and a bartending sloth might have something in common – both are rather slow at shaking up some boozy cocktails for a party: Rutherford and his wife, Lucy, were both teetotalers, opting to serve lemonade and other non-alcoholic drinks at White House social events, earning Lucy the clever nickname, "Lemonade Lucy."
Source => ducksters.com

2. Hayes' White House Telephone Debut

Before Alexander Graham Bell made "ring ring" a thing, one tech-savvy president took a 'call' just a few steps away from the Oval Office: Rutherford B. Hayes had the first telephone installed in the White House's telegraph room in 1877, becoming the first sitting president to embrace the groundbreaking invention. With only two phone numbers in Washington at the time, Hayes surely got some serious POTUS-Treasury Department bonding time through this exclusive line!
Source => touringohio.com

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3. Lucy's Temperance Influence

In a time when happy hours were few and far between in the White House, First Lady Lucy "Sober Curator" Hayes ensured spirits were dampened and the nation's liver had a breather: During her husband President Rutherford B. Hayes' stay in office, she actively supported the temperance movement and famously quashed alcohol from the White House parties, only making exceptions on rare occasions, such as for the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia's visit.
Source => whitehousehistory.org

4. Siamese Siam's Worldwide Journey

Say meow to your little friend: President Rutherford B. Hayes and his wife, Lucy, were gifted a female Siamese cat named Siam in 1879 by American consul David B. Sickels, who ensured she made a grand voyage from Thailand to the White House, passing through Hong Kong and San Francisco before reaching Washington.
Source => presidentialpetmuseum.com

5. Hayes' Mighty Mustache

Get a load of this whisker wonder: Rutherford B. Hayes, the 19th U.S. President, proudly sported an astonishing mustache that demanded respect and awe in the era of blooming beards, becoming his trademark facial flair throughout his political career.
Source => nytimes.com

6. No Booze, More Lemons

If life gave Lucy lemons, she'd give the White House lemonade: Rutherford B. Hayes's wife, Lucy Webb Hayes, was a staunch supporter of temperance and thus prohibited all alcohol within the presidential abode, even replacing wine with water and her namesake concoction "Lemonade Lucy" at state dinners.
Source => whitehouse.gov

7. Chandelier-Swinging, Antislavery Hayes

Ladies and Gents, meet Rutherford B. Hayes: a man who once defended runaway slaves by day and swung on the chandeliers with anti-slavery passion at night! In all seriousness: Hayes was an antislavery advocate heavily influenced by his wife Lucy, becoming deeply involved in Ohio's Republican Party and even enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War, ultimately earning the rank of brigadier general for his gallant services.
Source => millercenter.org

8. Telephones and Tinsel

Before Alexander Graham Bell had a chance to say "Watson, come here, I want to see you," and long before the first jingle bells rocked around the Christmas tree, a certain Rutherford B. Hayes was living the high life with telephones and tinsel: As the 19th President of the United States, Hayes was the first to introduce a telephone in the White House as well as the pioneer of the White House Christmas tree tradition in 1878.
Source => millercenter.org

9. President Hayes, Classical Languages Aficionado

If Rutherford B. Hayes was a high schooler today, he'd be in the running for "Most Likely to Slay an Ancient Roman in a Rap Battle": this 19th-century president was actually quite the savant when it came to Latin and Greek during his time at Isaac Webb school in Connecticut, despite initial struggles. Yet, no evidence exists of him fluently speaking or writing in these languages.
Source => en.wikipedia.org