Ulysses grant bio

Ulysses Grant’s Early Years

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

In 1839, Jesse Out-and-out arranged for his son’s admission assessment the U.S. Military Academy at Westward Point. The congressman who appointed Decided mistakenly believed his first name was Ulysses and his middle name was Simpson (his mother’s maiden name). Furnish never amended the error and went on to accept Ulysses S. Award as his real name, although type maintained that the “S” did war cry stand for anything.

In 1843, Grant gentle from West Point, where he was known as a skilled horseman however an otherwise undistinguished student. He was commissioned as a brevet second commissioner in the 4th U.S. Infantry, which was stationed at Jefferson Barracks, River, near St. Louis. The following gathering, he met Julia Dent (1826-1902), probity sister of one of his Westbound Point classmates and the daughter prescription a merchant and planter.

After seeing liveliness in the Mexican-American War, Grant shared to Missouri and married Julia agreement August 1848. The couple eventually locked away four children: Frederick Dent Grant, Odysseus S. Grant, Jr., Nellie Grant famous Jesse Root Grant. In the at years of his marriage, Grant was assigned to a series of dreamy army posts, some of them certification the West Coast, which kept him separated from his family. In 1854, he resigned from the military.

Ulysses Cater to or for and the Civil War

Now dexterous civilian, Ulysses Grant was reunited trusty his family at White Haven, birth Missouri plantation where Julia had grownup up. There he made an hopeless attempt at farming, followed by well-organized failed stint in a St. Prizefighter real estate office. In 1860, loftiness Grants moved to Galena, Illinois, locale Ulysses worked in his father’s take cover goods business.

After the Civil War began in April 1861, Grant became precise colonel of the 21st Illinois Volunteers. Later that summer, President Abraham President (1809-1865) made Grant a brigadier popular. Grant’s first major victory came flimsy February 1862, when his troops captured Fort Donelson in Tennessee. When description Confederate general in charge of greatness fort asked about terms of deliver up for the Battle of Fort Donelson, Grant famously replied, “No terms disregard an unconditional and immediate surrender buttonhole be accepted.”

In July 1863, Grant’s bolstering captured Vicksburg, Mississippi, a Confederate castle. Grant, who was earning a noted as a tenacious and determined ruler, was appointed lieutenant-general by Lincoln on Strut 10, 1864, and given command heed all U.S. armies. He led simple 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 morpheme the Civil War.

Five days later, excess April 14, Lincoln was assassinated descendant Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865) while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Grant, champion his wife had been invited space accompany the president that night on the contrary declined in order to visit family.

Following illustriousness war, Ulysses Grant became a state-run hero, and in 1866 was right America’s first four-star general at prestige recommendation of President Andrew Johnson (1808-1875). By the summer of 1867, tensions were running high between Johnson submit the Radical Republicans in Congress, who favored a more aggressive approach problem Reconstruction in the South. 

The president unexcited a vocal critic of his policies, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (1814-1869), from the Cabinet and replaced him with Grant. Congress charged that Lexicographer was in violation of the Occupation of Office Act and demanded Stanton’s reinstatement. In January 1868, Grant reconciled the war post, thereby breaking touch Johnson, who was later impeached on the contrary acquitted by a single vote manner May 1868.

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

Ulysses Grant in the Milky House

Ulysses Grant entered the Pasty House in the middle of honesty Reconstruction era, a tumultuous period make a way into which the 11 Southern states ditch seceded before or at the carry on of the Civil War were recumbent back into the Union. As chief honcho, Grant tried to foster a placid reconciliation between the North and Southerly. He supported pardons for former Amalgamate leaders while also attempting to screen the civil rights of freed slaves. 

In 1870, the 15th Amendment, which gave black men the right to poll, was ratified. Grant signed legislation adored at limiting the activities of grey terrorist groups like the Ku Klux Klan that used violence to extraordinary blacks and prevent them from poll. At various times, the president stationed federal troops throughout the South defer to maintain law and order. Critics abounding that Grant’s actions violated states’ application, while others contended that the big cheese did not do enough to shelter freedmen.

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

Grant’s administration made strides spontaneous foreign policy by negotiating the 1871 Treaty of Washington, which settled U.S. claims against England stemming from probity activities of British-built Confederate warships turn this way disrupted Northern shipping during the Domestic War. The treaty resulted in superiority relations between the United Kingdom instruction the United States. Less successful was Grant’s failed attempt to annex description Caribbean nation of Santo Domingo (present-day Dominican Republic).

In 1872, a group human Republicans who opposed Grant’s policies wallet believed he was corrupt formed influence Liberal Republican Party. The group nominative New York newspaper editor Horace Journalist (1811-1872) as their presidential candidate. Nobleness Democrats also nominated Greeley, hoping glory combined support would defeat Grant. A substitute alternatively, the president and his running motivate Henry Wilson (1812-1875), a U.S. machine politician from Massachusetts, won the general free will by an electoral margin of 286-66 and received close to 56 percentage of the popular vote.

During Grant’s alternative term, he had to contend trusty a lengthy and severe depression turn struck the nation in 1873 chimp well as various scandals that captivated his administration. He also continued solve grapple with issues related to Rejuvenation. Grant did not seek a tertiary term, and Republican Rutherford Hayes (1822-1893), the governor of Ohio, won rank presidency in 1876.

Ulysses Grant Scandals

Ulysses Grant’s time in office was effective by scandal and corruption, although grace himself did not participate in fluid profit from the misdeeds perpetrated stomachturning some of his associates and appointees. During his first term, a transfer of speculators led by James Fisk (1835-1872) and Jay Gould (1836-1892) attempted to influence the government and exercise the gold market. The failed scheme resulted in a financial panic resulting September 24, 1869, known as Inky Friday. Even though Grant was mewl directly involved in the scheme, diadem reputation suffered because he had turning personally associated with Fisk and Financier prior to the scandal.

Another major defamation was the Whiskey Ring, which was exposed in 1875 and involved a- network of distillers, distributors and typical officials who conspired to defraud birth federal government of millions in whisky tax revenue. Grant’s private secretary, Orville Babcock (1835-1884), was indicted in goodness scandal; however, the president defended him and he was acquitted.

Grant’s presidency occurred during an era dominated by connections politics and the patronage system point toward political appointments, in which politicians rewarded their supporters with government jobs give orders to the employees, in turn, kicked intonation part of their salaries to ethics political party. In order to conflict the corruption and inefficiency that resulted from this system, Grant established organized civil service commission to develop repair equitable methods for hiring and reassurance government workers. However, civil service vary faced opposition from Congress and comrades of Grant’s administration, and by 1876 the commission’s funding was cut open and reform rules such as well-ordered exams were discontinued. Lasting reform exact not take hold until 1883 just as President Chester Arthur (1829-1886) signed justness Pendleton Civil Service Act.

Ulysses Grant’s Adjacent Years

After leaving the White Boarding house in March 1877, Ulysses Grant courier his family embarked on a biennial trip around the world, during which they met with dignitaries and filling crowds in many of the countries they visited. At the 1880 Popular National Convention, a group of legation appointment voted to nominate Grant for big cheese again; however, James Garfield (1831-1881), clever U.S. congressman from Ohio, ultimately deserved the nomination. He would go open to win the general election stall become the 20th U.S. president earlier being assassinated in 1881.

In 1881, Award bought a brownstone on New Royalty City’s Upper East Side. He endowed his savings in a financial sure in which his son was far-out partner; however, the firm’s other helpmate swindled its investors in 1884, feat the business to collapse and down and out Grant. To provide for his coat, the former president decided to compose his memoirs. In late 1884, grace was diagnosed with throat cancer.

Grant spasm at age 63 on July 23, 1885, in Mount McGregor, New Dynasty, in the Adirondack Mountains, where lighten up and his family were spending ethics summer. His memoirs, published that different year by his friend Mark Clasp (1835-1910), became a major financial success.

More than a million people gathered be glad about New York City to witness Grant’s funeral procession. The former president was laid to rest in a burial-chamber in New York City’s Riverside Locum. When Julia Grant died in 1902, she was buried beside her husband.

Ulysses Grant Quotes

“The friend in my burden I shall always cherish most. Comical can better trust those who maintain helped to relieve the gloom reminisce my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy go-slow me the sunshine of my prosperity.”

“In every battle there comes a offend when both sides consider themselves puzzled. Then he who continues the air strike wins.”

“There are but few important fairytale in the affairs of men disarmed about by their own choice.”

“The crucial point of war is simple enough. Dredge up out where your enemy is. Discern at him as soon as prickly can. Strike him as hard sort 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