Who are Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes?

Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes were key figures in the contentious U.S. presidential election of 1876. Tilden, the Democratic candidate, won the popular vote but lost the presidency to Hayes, the Republican candidate, after a controversial electoral dispute. The election was marked by allegations of voter fraud and led to the Compromise of 1877, which resolved the impasse by withdrawing federal troops from the South, effectively ending Reconstruction. Hayes's presidency is often noted for its attempts at civil service reform and reconciliation after the Civil War.