Editing Webb Hayes

{{Short description|American Medal of Honor recipient (1856–1934)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name          = James Webb Cook Hayes
| image         = Webb Hayes2.jpg
| caption       = Hayes in 1920
| office        = [[Secretary to the President of the United States|Private Secretary to the President]]
| president     = [[Rutherford B. Hayes]]
| term_start    = March 4, 1877
| term_end      = March 4, 1881
| predecessor   = [[Ulysses S. Grant Jr.]]
| successor     = [[Joseph Stanley-Brown]]
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1856|3|20}}
| death_date    = {{Death date and age|1934|7|26|1856|3|20}}
| birth_place   = [[Cincinnati, Ohio]], US
| death_place   = [[Marion, Ohio]], US
| resting_place = [[Spiegel Grove|Spiegel Grove State Memorial]]<br>[[Fremont, Ohio]]
| birth_name    = James Webb Cook Hayes
| allegiance    = United States
| branch        = [[United States National Guard|Ohio National Guard]]<br/>[[United States Army]]
| serviceyears  = 1898–1918
| rank          = [[Brigadier General (United States)|Brigadier General]]
| commands      = 
| unit          = 1st Ohio Cavalry<br/>Fifth Army Corps<br/>31st Volunteer Infantry
| battles       = [[Spanish–American War]]<br/>[[Battle of San Juan Hill|San Juan Hill]]<br/>[[Boxer Rebellion]]<br/>[[Russo-Japanese War]]<br/>[[World War I]]
| awards        = [[Medal of Honor]]
}}
'''James Webb Cook Hayes''' (March 20, 1856 &ndash; July 26, 1934) was an American businessman and soldier.  He co-founded a forerunner of [[Union Carbide]],<ref name="Encyclopedia of Cleveland History">{{cite web |url=http://ech.cwru.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=LWH |title = LAWRENCE, WASHINGTON H. {{!}} Encyclopedia of Cleveland History {{!}} Case Western Reserve University| date=11 May 2018 }}</ref><ref name="Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center">{{cite web |url=http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/mssfind/285/eveready.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050717000408/http://www.rbhayes.org/hayes/mssfind/285/eveready.htm |archive-date=2005-07-17 |title=Eveready Battery Company Records Collection at the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center}}</ref> served in three wars, and received the [[Medal of Honor]].

==Early years and family==
James Webb Cook Hayes was the second son of President [[Rutherford B. Hayes]] and [[Lucy Webb Hayes]]. 

With his father serving in the [[American Civil War]] from the time James was five years old, he spent six months every winter at his father's [[Military camp|encampment]], which was usually [[Camp White (West Virginia)|Camp White]], [[West Virginia]]. He became very close with the commander of the unit, General [[George Crook]], who later became his [[godparent|godfather]]. Crook taught him how to live off the land, including hunting, fishing and survival. Years later, after Crook became famous in the west as a hunter and Indian fighter, the two made annual trips into the [[Rocky Mountains]] for a hunt of big game.

==College and career==
Hayes attended [[Cornell University]] from 1873 to 1875 and was a member of [[Delta Kappa Epsilon]].  He left Cornell to work as his father's secretary when his father was the governor of [[Ohio]]. When his father was elected president, he again served as his father's [[Secretary to the President (US)|secretary]]. 

In 1881, Hayes moved to Cleveland to work as the treasurer of the Whipple Manufacturing Company. In 1887, he, with three others, founded the [[National Carbon Company]], which is now known as [[Union Carbide]]. Hayes stayed with this company for many years as the vice president. 

He was the principal proponent for founding the [[Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center]], the first [[Presidential library system|presidential library]]. It was established in 1916 at Spiegel Grove.

Hayes died on July 26, 1934, in Marion, Ohio, and was buried with his parents at [[Spiegel Grove]], the family estate in [[Fremont, Ohio]].

==Military service==
Hayes also served in the military in the Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War and First World War.  He was a member of the First Cleveland Troop, later known as Troop A of the Ohio National Guard. During the [[Spanish–American War]], he was appointed a [[Major (United States)|major]] in the First Ohio Cavalry. He fought in [[Santiago de Cuba]] Campaign, during which he was wounded during the crossing of the [[San Juan River (Cuba)|San Juan River]] and the [[Battle of San Juan Hill|assault on San Juan Hill]], and later in the invasion of [[Puerto Rico]].  

Following this, he was promoted to [[Lieutenant colonel (United States)|lieutenant colonel]], reassigned to the 31st United States Volunteer Infantry, and sent to the [[Philippines]].  Just hours after landing there, he led a rescue party to free captured men at [[Vigan Island]].  He received the [[Medal of Honor]] for this action.  He went on to participate in the [[China Relief Expedition]] during the [[Boxer Rebellion]] and as an observer in the [[Russo-Japanese War]]. 

During [[World War I]], Hayes was promoted to [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]] and first served as a special agent for the [[State Department]] in [[France]] and later held an administrative assignment on the Italian front.  After the war he was promoted to brigadier general.

Hayes was a member of the Ohio Commandery of the [[Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States]] by right of the service of his uncle, Lieutenant Colonel J.T. Webb, as an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.  He was also a member of the [[Military Order of Foreign Wars]].

Hayes was one of two sons of Presidents of the United States to be awarded the Medal of Honor, the other being [[Theodore Roosevelt Jr.]] The fathers of both men were deceased and had been out of office for several years during their sons' Medal of Honor actions, so nepotism and politics were not likely a factor in their awards.

==Medal of Honor citation==
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Colonel, 31st Infantry, U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Vigan, Luzon, Philippine Islands, December 4, 1899. Entered service at: Fremont, Ohio. Born: March 20, 1856, Cincinnati, Ohio. Date of issue: December 17, 1902.

'''Citation:'''

<blockquote>Pushed through the enemy's lines alone, during the night, from the beach to the beleaguered force at Vigan, and returned the following morning to report the condition of affairs to the Navy and secure assistance.</blockquote>

==Military Awards==


{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|colspan="3"|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Medal of Honor ribbon.svg|width=106}}{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Spanish Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Philippine Campaign Medal ribbon.svg |width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=China Campaign Medal ribbon.svg
|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=World War I Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
!1st row
| colspan="4"|[[Medal of Honor]]
| colspan="4"|[[Spanish Campaign Medal]]
|-
!2nd row
| colspan="3"|[[Philippine Campaign Medal]]
| colspan="3"|[[China Campaign Medal]]
| colspan="3"|[[World War I Victory Medal (United States)|World War I Victory Medal]] 
|-
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[[List of Medal of Honor recipients]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{Cite web
  |accessdate=2004-06-29
|url=http://www.rbhayes.org/mssfind/hayes_coll/wchayes1.htm#Biographical%20Sketch
  |title=Webb C. Hayes: Biographical Sketch
  |publisher=Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center}}

*{{Cite web
  |accessdate=2007-10-22
  |url=http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/philippine.html
  |title=Hayes, Webb C.
  |work=Medal of Honor recipients &mdash; Philippine Insurrection
  |publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] (CMH)
  |archive-date=2008-04-20
  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420212952/http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/philippine.html
  |url-status=dead
  }}

{{Rutherford B. Hayes|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Webb C.}}
[[Category:1856 births]]
[[Category:1934 deaths]]
[[Category:United States Army Medal of Honor recipients]]
[[Category:Children of presidents of the United States]]
[[Category:Cornell University alumni]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Cincinnati]]
[[Category:American military personnel of the Spanish–American War]]
[[Category:United States Army generals]]
[[Category:Secretaries]]
[[Category:Personal secretaries to the president of the United States]]
[[Category:American military personnel of the Philippine–American War]]
[[Category:Philippine–American War recipients of the Medal of Honor]]
[[Category:Rutherford B. Hayes]]
[[Category:Hayes family]]