Rutherford B. Hayes moved to Cincinnati looking for a deeper enjoyment and purpose in his life after his time in Fremont. He confided to his journal on January 25, 1850, that he had let his professional ambitions fall away; “Why may I not, by a few hours daily spent in systematic study, regain all I have lost in the last three or four unfortunate years spent or wasted in the North?” He considered that he had lost ground to others who made demonstrable advances in their life. Speaking of a college friend, J.D. French, whom he considered “the most promising and gifted of all my acquaintances,” he asked himself how he compared to French’s early success. “Can as much be said of myself,” he asked, “Oh, the waste of those five precious years at [Lower] Sandusky! Shall I ever recover what I have lost?” He, “determined to do whatever my hand findeth to do with my might,” to make up for those years. So for his first full year in Cincinnati (1850), he buried himself into his career, his search for a wife, and his social engagements.[1]
His career was slow to start. He knew going into this new endeavor it would take time, accepting that “two or three briefless years…probably await[ed him] at Cincinnati.” He preferred situating himself with an established lawyer, but felt he could “wedge in” to business regardless. This suited him well since he looked forward to “brushing up and preparing and making friends and acquaintances.” He, instead chose to share an office, but not a practice, with John W. Herron, whom he described as “young, of good habits, education, and mind.” Yet, he was correct to assume his career would be slow to rebound. He spent most of his time performing legal work for his uncle back in Fremont. Yet, he experienced “some symptoms of work,” when “a substantial coal dealer accidentally stumbled in and gave me a five-dollar retainer to defend a suit for which I shall charge him twenty-five dollars when finished.”[2]
In the intervening months while he was waiting for his career to grow, he made a point to reconnect with Lucy Webb. He confided to his brother-in-law that he “found” Lucy Webb, but “she had so far forgotten” who he was. “I laughed and chatted with her a long while before I relieved her curiosity,” he explained, “by telling her my name.” Only a week later he wrote a friend that he “fanc[ied what] Miss Lucy must have become by this time, than any of the artificial attractions of your city belles.” She much closer appealed to his “country-bred” sentimentalities. While he was not yet ready to commit his attentions to her, a few months later he confided to his journal regarding Lucy that, “[I] must keep a guard on my susceptibles or I shall be in beyond my depth.”. It would be a few months before he devoted his thoughts exclusively
to her.[3]
His social engagements provided the largest contribution to his changing thoughts on slavery. While his concern for slavery had slowly drifted with northern Whig distaste of its extension, he had not coupled that political ideal with a disavowal of the practice of slavery. Upon developing social attachments in the Queen City, he became increasingly exposed to individuals who sought to eradicate the institution as well as the extension. Very early into his time in the city, he met Cassius Clay. Clay was a Kentucky resident who was born into the planter class but had adopted abolitionist sentimentalities. After having his abolitionist press violated on multiple times in Kentucky, he moved the operation to Cincinnati. Hayes was pleasantly surprised by Clay. He wrote, “I went to . . . a small gentlemen’s gathering where, among other notorious persons, I met Cassius M. Clay, and to my surprise found him not only pleasant and agreeable, but exceedingly unobtrusive and modest.” While this interaction shows his increasing exposure to abolitionists, it also show he still harbored deep prejudices against their ideals since was so surprised to find one of them agreeable.[4] Image: Cassius Clay
While he was rubbing shoulders with politically vocal abolitionists like Clay, he continued to harbor deep Northern Whig sentimentalities of opposing Southern movements. At another social gathering, the host read “the eloquent portions” of one of Daniel Webster’s speeches. In that speech, Webster spoke firmly of the [unlikely potential] of Southern secession claiming that it was not viable and unlikely to be done so peacefully. He also railed against abolitionists for being impotent only accomplishing the stirring up of dissent through their publications and lecturers. This sentiment was echoed by Hayes in his correspondence with Guy Bryan.[5]
In a letter to his Texan friend, Hayes wrote,
“The cry of disunion is grown to be very senseless and harmless. The thing is shown to be impossible. The border States will not permit it...It may be a good hobby further South and off North but where the division line is to be run, the feeling is in opposition to it.”[6]
But, overall, Hayes lost his connection to discussions on race and politics in 1850, outside of a few mentions about Whig success to his uncle. He understandably buried himself into building his career and social life. In November of 1850 he reported to his journal that he meant to devote his winter to “friends, lectures, or studies…” He became deeply interested in Cincinnati’s Literary Club where he meant “to speak every opportunity, and on each occasion ‘put the best leg foremost.’”[7]
That did not mean that debate on the slavery question had stalled at the national level. Hayes’s political heroes, Daniel Webster and Henry Clay, were meting out a compromise on the slavery question in hopes of creating a new, stable equilibrium between the two sections. That Compromise of 1850 would include a Fugitive Slave Act, and Hayes would find himself deeply embroiled in its impact on Ohio.
[1] RBH Journal, January 25 & 31, 1850, HPLM.
[2] RBH to FAHP, September 23, 1849; RBH to SB, January 4, February 10 & 19, April 18 1850; RBH Diary, January 8, 1850.
[3] RBH to William Platt, January 14, 1850; RBH to John Little, January 20, 1850; RBH Journal, May 4, 1850.
[4] RBH to Sardis Birchard, January 4, 1850, HPLM.
[5] RBH Journal, March 15, 1850, HPLM.
[6] RBH to Guy Bryan, June 6, 1850, HPLM.
[7] RBH Journal, November 4, 1850, HPLM.