Ulysses S. Grant served as the 18th President of the United States from 1869 to 1877. He was born in Point Pleasant, Ohio, in 1822 and grew up in nearby Georgetown before attending West Point.
A Republican, Grant had led the Union Army to victory in the Civil War and accepted Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox in 1865.
Key Moments
During his two terms the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870, protecting voting rights regardless of race. He signed laws to fight the Ku Klux Klan and approved Yellowstone as the first national park in 1872. Scandals among appointees marked his second term.
Ohio Connection
Grant’s birthplace in Point Pleasant and his boyhood home and schoolhouse in Georgetown are Ohio historic sites. Late in life he wrote his memoirs while ill, and they became a bestseller that supported his family.
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