1876, Republicans chose Hayes to run for president. He was opposed by Democrat Samuel J. Tilden who won the popular vote. However, the vote in three Republican-controlled states was in confusion. Tilden only needed one electoral vote to win while Hayes needed every vote from all three. When doing the recount, many Democratic ballots were ruled invalid in Florida and Louisiana. An investigative commission voted 8-7 along party lines to give all the electoral votes to Hayes allowing him to win. Hayes began his administration with the Compromise of 1877 by which military occupation of the South ended. This helped satisfy Southerners who were upset over the results of the election. Hayes set down a policy that a canal in Central America could only be under American control as the French were attempting to create one during his administration. This would eventually lead to the development of the Panama Canal. http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/rutherfordbhayes
Presidential Years: 1877-1881