Ulysses S. Grant

Born in Point Pleasant, Ohio on April 27, 1822, Hiram Ulysses Grant was the first child of Jesse Root Grant and Hannah Simpson Grant. Descended from a long line of patriots, including an ancestor who fought in the French and Indian War and a grandfather who served in the American Revolution at Bunker Hill, Grant's father was a passionate abolitionist and Whig Party supporter who worked as a foreman in a tannery. When Grant was born, his parents selected the name Ulysses from a hat, but his father later added his own name, Hiram, to his birth certificate. Ulysses S. Grant, or Hiram Ulysses Grant, was an accomplished American military leader and politician. He served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877, and as Commanding General, he played a crucial role in leading the Union Army to victory during the American Civil War. As president, Grant was committed to civil rights and collaborated with Radical Republicans to safeguard the rights of African Americans, including the creation of the Justice Department.