Rumor has it that he won his presidency as part of a backroom deal: Hayes ends Reconstruction, he gets to be president. This led his critics to nickname him "Rutherfraud". (The B stands for "Birchard") A fuller story of how he got there: the election of 1876 was very close, but wasn't as clean as it could be. Polls showed his opponent, Samuel J Tilden, winning the popular vote and up 184 to 165 in the Electoral College (the one that really counts), with 20 undecided votes remaining. The number needed for victory that year? 185. For a one-minute biographical video check this out.