Lucy Webb Hayes (1831-1889) was the wife of 19th president Rutherford B. Hayes. This 5" x 7" (12.7 x 17.8 cm) photograph was taken soon after Rutherford's election in 1877. It is part of the Rutherford B. Hayes Collection at the Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont. The extensive collection consists of photographs, documents, books, and ephemera.

Born Lucy Ware Webb on August 28, 1831 in Chillicothe, Ohio, her parents were Dr. James Webb and Maria Cook. Dr. Webb died of cholera when Lucy was two years old while on a trip to Kentucky to free slaves he had inherited. In 1844, Mrs. Webb moved the family to Delaware so that Lucy's two older brothers could attend Ohio Wesleyan University. Although women were not permitted to study at Wesleyan, Lucy enrolled with her brothers. She transferred to Cincinnati Wesleyan Female College in 1847 and graduated in 1850.

Lucy first met Rutherford B. Hayes in Delaware, his hometown. They were married in December 1852 and settled in Cincinnati, where Rutherford had begun a law practice. Rutherford began to share Lucy's anti-slavery convictions, prompting him to enlist in the Union army when the Civil War broke out. Lucy often visited the 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which was under her husband's command, and assisted in caring for the sick. After the war, Rutherford was elected governor of Ohio in 1867. The family moved to Columbus, and Lucy continued her charitable work by visiting hospitals and founding an orphanage in the city. When her husband was elected president in 1876, Lucy became the first wife of a president to be called "First Lady" and the first to have graduated from college. She banned the serving of alcohol in the White House, earning her the nickname "Lemonade Lucy," although many believe it was actually Rutherford's decision to prohibit alcohol, since he realized the significance of temperance supporters to his campaign. Lucy was a strong anti-slavery supporter and worked for many social causes, including scholarships for Native Americans and donations for the poor. When Congress banned children from rolling out their Easter eggs on the grounds of the Capitol, Lucy invited the children to the White House. The tradition continues today.

The Hayes' had eight children, five of whom survived to adulthood. After her tenure as First Lady, Lucy and her husband returned to Spiegel Grove, the family estate in Fremont, Ohio. The family spent eight happy years there before Lucy suffered a stroke and died a few days later, on June 25, 1889.