Ulysses Grant - 1869-1877
-Defeats Horatio Seymour by a narrow margin in the 1868 election
-His presidency is distinguished by largely inept advisers and corruption scandals
-Credit Mobilier, the whiskey ring, and the Indian ring being notable examples
-Grant supports the radical reconstruction efforts in the south, at times by propping up the provisional governments with military force
-Grant's refusal to allow the printing of unbacked paper money contributes to the panic of 1873
-Grant's Secretary of State William Seward purchases Alaska from Russia for 7.2 million dollars, roughly two cents an acre
-Hamilton Fish, Grant's second Secretary of State, settles disputes with Britain regarding violated neutrality during the Civil War.