Final answer:
The contested presidential election of 1876 was resolved with Rutherford B. Hayes winning the presidency after a special electoral commission's decision, which was influenced by the Compromise of 1877.
Step-by-step explanation:
The outcome of the contested presidential election of 1876 was ultimately resolved through a special electoral commission, resulting in Rutherford B. Hayes being declared the winner after much deliberation. Despite Samuel Tilden winning the popular vote by a significant margin, he fell short of the necessary electoral votes due to disputed returns from Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Oregon. With the establishment of the electoral commission, which voted along partisan lines, Hayes was awarded the disputed electoral votes, thereby winning with a margin of 185-184. This resolution came with the Compromise of 1877, which promised the withdrawal of federal troops from the southern states, signifying the end of radical Reconstruction and the handing back of control to southern Democrats.