History of 4 Presidential Visits to Olympia
T he first president to visit Olympia came underneath the cloud of a failing presidency. Rutherford B. Hayes arrived in Olympia in October 1880, ev...
T he first president to visit Olympia came underneath the cloud of a failing presidency. Rutherford B. Hayes arrived in Olympia in October 1880, even before Washington was a state, as part of a massive 70-day western tour. Under an article titled 'the Cause of Mr. Hayes' visit' the Washington Standard (a hometown Olympia newspaper) described the president's inability to prevent political machines from taking control of the national bureaucracy. So, the paper claimed through a re-printed article, the President retreated to a multi-state tour.