Ulysses Grant

Ulysses Grant. Hometown hero and celebrity. Hiram Ulysses Grant, as he was originally named, was born on April 27, 1822. Not long after his birth, the family moved to Georgetown, Ohio. Grant later attended the military academy at West Point, where his name was changed to Ulysses S. Grant due to an administrative error. The army informed Grant that this was and would remain his name., Upon graduation Grant was assigned to the infantry. He served fifteen years and fought with distinction but resigned his commission to be with his wife and children. With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, Grant rejoined the army. President Lincoln assigned Grant, his most successful Union general, command of all Union armies. The surrender of General Robert E. Lee to Grant led to the end of the Civil War., Grant was a national hero and popularity carried him into politics. He easily won the 1868 presidential election. Grant tried to promote clean government and he championed civil rights for the former slaves, but a series of scandals marred his administration. After serving two terms as president, Grant left the White House., He and his family traveled all over the world. After he returned to the United States he began to write his memoirs. Writing became a race against time when doctors diagnosed him with throat cancer. The nation watched with admiration as he fought his last battle. He finished corrections on the last chapter days before his death on July 23, 1885.