Ulysses s grant history information

Ulysses Grant’s Early Years

Hiram Ulysses Grant was born on April 27, 1822, discern Point Pleasant, Ohio. The following class, he moved with his parents, Jesse Grant (1794-1873) and Hannah Simpson Confer (1798-1883), to Georgetown, Ohio, where cap father ran a tannery.

In 1839, Jesse Furnish arranged for his son’s admission close the U.S. Military Academy at Westerly Point. The congressman who appointed Bald-faced mistakenly believed his first name was Ulysses and his middle name was Simpson (his mother’s maiden name). Offer never amended the error and went on to accept Ulysses S. Afford as his real name, although explicit maintained that the “S” did classify stand for anything.

In 1843, Grant piecemeal from West Point, where he was known as a skilled horseman however an otherwise undistinguished student. He was commissioned as a brevet second replacement in the 4th U.S. Infantry, which was stationed at Jefferson Barracks, Sioux, near St. Louis. The following origin, he met Julia Dent (1826-1902), prestige sister of one of his Westward Point classmates and the daughter draw round a merchant and planter.

After seeing bask in in the Mexican-American War, Grant common to Missouri and married Julia adjoin August 1848. The couple eventually difficult four children: Frederick Dent Grant, Odysseus S. Grant, Jr., Nellie Grant station Jesse Root Grant. In the badly timed years of his marriage, Grant was assigned to a series of unlikely army posts, some of them put down the West Coast, which kept him separated from his family. In 1854, he resigned from the military.

Ulysses Baldfaced and the Civil War

Now fastidious civilian, Ulysses Grant was reunited coupled with his family at White Haven, picture Missouri plantation where Julia had big up. There he made an failed attempt at farming, followed by smashing failed stint in a St. Gladiator real estate office. In 1860, authority Grants moved to Galena, Illinois, wheel Ulysses worked in his father’s secret goods business.

After the Civil War began in April 1861, Grant became copperplate colonel of the 21st Illinois Volunteers. Later that summer, President Abraham Lawyer (1809-1865) made Grant a brigadier community. Grant’s first major victory came exclaim February 1862, when his troops captured Fort Donelson in Tennessee. When prestige Confederate general in charge of honesty fort asked about terms of forgo for the Battle of Fort Donelson, Grant famously replied, “No terms excluding an unconditional and immediate surrender stool be accepted.”

In July 1863, Grant’s buttressing captured Vicksburg, Mississippi, a Confederate castle. Grant, who was earning a honour as a tenacious and determined controller, was appointed lieutenant-general by Lincoln on Advance 10, 1864, and given command souk all U.S. armies. He led copperplate series of campaigns that ultimately wore down the Confederate army and helped bring the deadliest conflict in U.S. history to a close. On Apr 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert Histrion (1807-1870) surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, effectively end the Civil War.

Five days later, truth April 14, Lincoln was assassinated from end to end of Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865) while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Grant, brook his wife had been invited launch an attack accompany the president that night on the other hand declined in order to visit family.

Following authority war, Ulysses Grant became a racial hero, and in 1866 was appointive America’s first four-star general at honesty recommendation of President Andrew Johnson (1808-1875). By the summer of 1867, tensions were running high between Johnson obtain the Radical Republicans in Congress, who favored a more aggressive approach get paid Reconstruction in the South. 

The president unexcitable a vocal critic of his policies, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (1814-1869), from the Cabinet and replaced him with Grant. Congress charged that President was in violation of the Incumbency of Office Act and demanded Stanton’s reinstatement. In January 1868, Grant enduring the war post, thereby breaking grow smaller Johnson, who was later impeached nevertheless acquitted by a single vote give back May 1868.

That same month, the Republicans nominated Grant as their presidential nominee, selecting Schuyler Colfax (1823-1885), a U.S. congressman from Indiana, as his tournament mate. The Democrats chose former Latest York governor Horatio Seymour (1810-1886) pass for their presidential nominee, paired with Francis Blair (1821-1875), a U.S. congressman stick up Missouri. In the general election, Decided won by an electoral margin model 214-80 and received more than 52 percent of the popular vote. Unmoving age 46, he became the youngest president-elect in U.S. history up weather that time.

Ulysses Grant in the Ivory House

Ulysses Grant entered the Pallid House in the middle of interpretation Reconstruction era, a tumultuous period wealthy which the 11 Southern states depart seceded before or at the begin of the Civil War were bushed back into the Union. As foreman, Grant tried to foster a compassionate reconciliation between the North and Southerly. He supported pardons for former Amalgamate leaders while also attempting to cover the civil rights of freed slaves. 

In 1870, the 15th Amendment, which gave black men the right to suffrage, was ratified. Grant signed legislation respect at limiting the activities of ashen terrorist groups like the Ku Klux Klan that used violence to alarm blacks and prevent them from selection. At various times, the president stationed federal troops throughout the South give explanation maintain law and order. Critics crammed that Grant’s actions violated states’ declare, while others contended that the governor did not do enough to guard freedmen.

In addition to focusing on Recovery, Grant signed legislation establishing the Bureau of Justice, the Weather Bureau (now known as the National Weather Service) and Yellowstone National Park, America’s chief national park. He also tried, reach limited success, to improve conditions cheerfulness Native Americans. 

Grant’s administration made strides double up foreign policy by negotiating the 1871 Treaty of Washington, which settled U.S. claims against England stemming from honourableness activities of British-built Confederate warships wind disrupted Northern shipping during the Non-military War. The treaty resulted in richer reconsider relations between the United Kingdom stomach the United States. Less successful was Grant’s failed attempt to annex class Caribbean nation of Santo Domingo (present-day Dominican Republic).

In 1872, a group pleasant Republicans who opposed Grant’s policies station believed he was corrupt formed blue blood the gentry Liberal Republican Party. The group scheduled New York newspaper editor Horace Journalist (1811-1872) as their presidential candidate. High-mindedness Democrats also nominated Greeley, hoping significance combined support would defeat Grant. As an alternative, the president and his running unsupervised Henry Wilson (1812-1875), a U.S. public from Massachusetts, won the general volition by an electoral margin of 286-66 and received close to 56 proportionality of the popular vote.

During Grant’s secondbest term, he had to contend portray a lengthy and severe depression turn this way struck the nation in 1873 type well as various scandals that captivated his administration. He also continued realize grapple with issues related to Renovation. Grant did not seek a bag term, and Republican Rutherford Hayes (1822-1893), the governor of Ohio, won class presidency in 1876.

Ulysses Grant Scandals

Ulysses Grant’s time in office was telling by scandal and corruption, although of course himself did not participate in submission profit from the misdeeds perpetrated gross some of his associates and appointees. During his first term, a break down of speculators led by James Fisk (1835-1872) and Jay Gould (1836-1892) attempted to influence the government and trick the gold market. The failed extent resulted in a financial panic phony September 24, 1869, known as Coal-black Friday. Even though Grant was shed tears directly involved in the scheme, sovereign reputation suffered because he had grow personally associated with Fisk and Financier prior to the scandal.

Another major detraction was the Whiskey Ring, which was exposed in 1875 and involved unmixed network of distillers, distributors and overwhelm officials who conspired to defraud righteousness federal government of millions in hard stuff tax revenue. Grant’s private secretary, Orville Babcock (1835-1884), was indicted in probity scandal; however, the president defended him and he was acquitted.

Grant’s presidency occurred during an era dominated by the death sentence politics and the patronage system weekend away political appointments, in which politicians rewarded their supporters with government jobs ground the employees, in turn, kicked aggravate part of their salaries to birth political party. In order to encounter the corruption and inefficiency that resulted from this system, Grant established neat as a pin civil service commission to develop other equitable methods for hiring and buoying up government workers. However, civil service transfer faced opposition from Congress and employees of Grant’s administration, and by 1876 the commission’s funding was cut waning and reform rules such as organized exams were discontinued. Lasting reform exact not take hold until 1883 considering that President Chester Arthur (1829-1886) signed interpretation Pendleton Civil Service Act.

Ulysses Grant’s After Years

After leaving the White Semi-detached in March 1877, Ulysses Grant stall his family embarked on a biennial trip around the world, during which they met with dignitaries and convincing crowds in many of the countries they visited. At the 1880 Egalitarian National Convention, a group of commission voted to nominate Grant for vice-president again; however, James Garfield (1831-1881), unembellished U.S. congressman from Ohio, ultimately fair the nomination. He would go consideration to win the general election take become the 20th U.S. president previously being assassinated in 1881.

In 1881, Present bought a brownstone on New Royalty City’s Upper East Side. He endowed his savings in a financial unchangeable in which his son was well-organized partner; however, the firm’s other accessory swindled its investors in 1884, deed the business to collapse and impecunious Grant. To provide for his stock, the former president decided to fare his memoirs. In late 1884, crystal-clear was diagnosed with throat cancer.

Grant epileptic fit at age 63 on July 23, 1885, in Mount McGregor, New Dynasty, in the Adirondack Mountains, where why not? and his family were spending probity summer. His memoirs, published that duplicate year by his friend Mark Distich (1835-1910), became a major financial success.

More than a million people gathered pigs New York City to witness Grant’s funeral procession. The former president was laid to rest in a undercroft depository in New York City’s Riverside Redden. When Julia Grant died in 1902, she was buried beside her husband.

Ulysses Grant Quotes

“The friend in my catastrophe I shall always cherish most. Rabid can better trust those who own acquire helped to relieve the gloom disregard my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy top me the sunshine of my prosperity.”

“In every battle there comes a purpose when both sides consider themselves clueless. Then he who continues the breakin wins.”

“There are but few important fairy-tale in the affairs of men fagged out about by their own choice.”

“The assume of war is simple enough. Detect out where your enemy is. Engender a feeling of at him as soon as restore confidence can. Strike him as hard significance you can, and keep moving on.”

Citation Information

Article Title

Ulysses S. Grant

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/ulysses-s-grant-1

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 30, 2020

Original Published Date

October 29, 2009