The disputed election of 1876 between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel Tilden, in which Congress set up a special electoral commission, handing the disputed electoral votes to Hayes, brings recent events to sharp focus.

Historian Hans L. Trefousse explores Haye's new relevance and reconsiders what many have seen as the pitfalls of his presidency. A great intellectual and one of our best-educated presidents, Hayes did much in the way of healing the nation and elevating the presidency.