13. Rutherford B. Hayes enjoyed a good croquet match
Rutherford B. Hayes entered the White House as a result of one of the most contentious and corrupt elections in American history. Hayes did not win the popular vote. In fact, his opponent captured a majority of the popular vote, which led to a constitutional crisis when numerous electoral votes were disputed. Throughout his single term presidency, Hayes was referred to as a fraudulent president. Hayes was also widely mocked when his wife banned alcohol from the White House, earning the appellation of Lemonade Lucy.
Hayes relaxed by enjoying the game of croquet on the White House lawn, and after his presidency, that too drew criticism. A committee of the Democratically controlled House investigated Hayes’s reported expenses as president, and discovered that he had purchased a croquet set, which featured boxwood balls, for $16 when another set, without boxwood balls, was available for $6 less. Hayes bought the set under heading of an account for “Repairs and Fuel” for the Executive Mansion. The committee found that the purchase of the croquet set was just part of a “raid on the Federal treasury” conducted by the Hayes administration while it was in office.