Grover Cleveland

Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, serving from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He was the first U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms and the first Democrat elected president after the American Civil War.

Born in Caldwell, New Jersey, Cleveland was elected mayor of Buffalo in 1881 and governor of New York in 1882. His work for political reform and honest government won him many supporters, even from the other party.

During his time as president, Cleveland worked to keep the government honest and careful with money. He also made important laws to help control big businesses and to change how land was treated for Native American communities. Later in life, he spoke out against going to war with new lands and helped support education.

Early life

Stephen Grover Cleveland was born on March 18, 1837, in Caldwell, New Jersey. His father was a minister from Connecticut, and his mother was from Baltimore. Cleveland grew up with eight brothers and sisters. The family moved several times during his childhood, living in Fayetteville, New York, Clinton, New York, and Holland Patent, New York.

After his father passed away, Cleveland had to help his family by working as a teacher. Later, he moved to Buffalo, New York, where he worked at a law firm and studied to become a lawyer. During the American Civil War, he paid someone else to serve in his place instead of joining the army himself. Cleveland became known as a hardworking lawyer and helped many people with their legal problems.

Political career in New York

From the beginning of his political journey, Grover Cleveland supported the Democratic Party. He did not agree with John C. Frémont and Abraham Lincoln. In 1870, Cleveland became the sheriff of Erie County, New York. He won the election by just 303 votes and started his job on January 1, 1871, when he was 33 years old.

As sheriff, Cleveland focused on his duties. After his time as sheriff, he returned to working as a lawyer with his friends. Later, he became the Mayor of Buffalo in 1881 after the people of Buffalo chose him. He started his job on January 2, 1882.

During his time as mayor, Cleveland worked hard to stop unfair practices and helped improve Buffalo. He also became the Governor of New York in 1882. As governor, Cleveland continued to work against unfair spending and supported changes to make government better. He worked with Theodore Roosevelt, who was young at the time, to pass important laws.

Election of 1884

Nomination for president

Main article: 1884 Democratic National Convention

In June 1884, the Republican Party chose James G. Blaine of Maine as their candidate for president. Many Republicans were unhappy with this choice. The Democrats saw a chance to win the presidency for the first time since 1856.

Among the Democrats, several leaders were considered, including Samuel J. Tilden, who had been their candidate in 1876. After Tilden said no, other names came up. Grover Cleveland was one of the top choices. Cleveland led after the first round of voting and won on the second round. Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana was chosen as his running mate.

Campaign against Blaine

The big issue in the campaign was honesty in government. Blaine had been linked to some questionable deals, while Cleveland was known for his honesty. Some Republicans who cared more about honesty than party switched to support Cleveland.

The campaign became very personal, with each side saying bad things about the other. Cleveland’s supporters brought up old stories about Blaine helping railroads and then profiting. Blaine’s team found a story from Cleveland’s past—allegations that he had a child outside of marriage. Cleveland admitted to helping the mother with money and took responsibility.

The election was very close, especially in New York, New Jersey, Indiana, and Connecticut. Cleveland won these states narrowly, giving him the presidency. He won by a very small margin in the popular vote but had more electoral votes.

First presidency (1885–1889)

Main article: First presidency of Grover Cleveland

Reform

After becoming president, Grover Cleveland had to fill many government jobs. He decided not to fire anyone who was doing their job well, even if they were from the other party. He also tried to hire people based on their skills rather than their political ties. Cleveland also worked to reduce the number of government workers because many positions had too many people in them.

Cleveland made changes to other parts of the government too. In 1887, he approved a law that created the Interstate Commerce Commission to help control railroads. He also worked to update the Navy and stopped some bad deals for building ships. Cleveland upset some people who owned railroads by checking on lands they had been given by the government.

Cleveland was the first Democratic president to deal with a law called the Tenure of Office Act. This law said the Senate had to approve when the president wanted to fire certain government workers. Cleveland did not like this law and his refusal to follow it helped lead to it being changed in 1887.

Vetoes

Cleveland often used his power to stop bills he did not agree with. He stopped many bills that would give extra money to Civil War veterans because he thought they had already been decided. He also stopped a bill that would give money to farmers in Texas after a drought, believing that the government should not help in this way. In total, Cleveland used his veto power 414 times in his first term, which was more than any president before him.

Silver

During Cleveland's time, there was a big debate about whether money should be based on gold and silver or just gold. Cleveland supported using only gold. He tried to convince Congress to change a law that required the government to use some silver, but he was not successful. The issue was left unsolved during his term.

Tariffs

Another big issue was tariffs, which are taxes on goods from other countries. Cleveland thought these taxes were too high and wanted to lower them. Many people, especially in the Republican Party, wanted to keep the high tariffs to protect American businesses. Cleveland tried to get Congress to pass a law to lower the tariffs, but it did not pass both parts of Congress.

Foreign policy, 1885–1889

Cleveland did not want the United States to get involved in other countries’ affairs. He did not support a treaty to build a canal in Nicaragua and took away a treaty about trade with the United Kingdom. He also took a treaty about Africa out of consideration.

Military and naval policy, 1885–1889

Cleveland wanted to make sure the country could defend itself and updated its military. He supported a plan to build new forts along the coast and to update the Navy. Even though no new big ships were built during his term, the Navy ordered many new warships that were important later on.

Civil rights and immigration

Cleveland did not make big changes to help African Americans. He did not appoint any African Americans to important jobs, but he let one continue working. He also signed a law that made it harder for Chinese people to come back to the United States if they left.

Native American policy

Cleveland wanted to help Native Americans by changing their way of life to match others. He supported a law that would give Native American lands to individual people instead of keeping them for the whole tribe. This led to Native Americans losing a lot of land.

Marriage and children

Main article: Wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom

Cleveland got married while he was president. He wed Frances Folsom in 1886 at the White House. She was very young at 21 years old, and she became very popular. They had five children together.

Administration and Cabinet

Supreme Court appointments

Main article: List of federal judges appointed by Grover Cleveland

Cleveland chose two people to serve on the Supreme Court during his first term. The first was Lucius Q. C. Lamar, and the second was Melville Fuller, who became the Chief Justice.

Election of 1888

In 1888, the Republicans chose Benjamin Harrison, a former U.S. Senator from Indiana, as their president and Levi P. Morton of New York as vice president. Grover Cleveland was chosen again by the Democrats at their meeting in St. Louis. After Vice President Thomas A. Hendricks passed away in 1885, the Democrats selected Allen G. Thurman of Ohio to join Cleveland on the ticket.

The Republicans did a better job in organizing their campaign. Cleveland's team, led by Calvin S. Brice and William H. Barnum, did not manage things as well. Harrison had strong helpers like Matt Quay and John Wanamaker.

The Republicans focused their campaign on the topic of tariffs, which helped them win support in important states in the North. In New York, the Democrats were also split over another election, which weakened Cleveland’s support there. A letter from a British ambassador that supported Cleveland caused some trouble and cost him votes in New York.

The election was very close in several key states: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Indiana. In 1884, Cleveland had won all of these states, but in 1888 he only won two of them. He lost New York by a very small margin. Although Cleveland got more of the popular vote—48.6 percent compared to Harrison’s 47.8 percent—Harrison won more votes in the Electoral College, 233 to 168. The Republicans also won in Indiana due to a questionable voting method called Blocks of Five. Cleveland kept working hard until his term ended and then planned to return to private life.

Between presidencies (1889–1893)

When Frances Cleveland left the White House, she asked the staff to keep everything just as it was because they planned to return in four years. The Clevelands moved to New York City, where Grover took a job sharing an office with a law firm. Though he earned a modest income, he often spent time at their vacation home, Gray Gables in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, where he loved to fish.

During this time, their first child, Ruth, was born in 1891. The government passed some laws, like the McKinley Tariff and the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which Grover thought could harm the country’s finances. By 1891, he felt he had to speak up about his worries, writing a public letter that brought his name back into the news just before the 1892 election.

Election of 1892

Nomination for president

Main article: 1892 Democratic National Convention

Grover Cleveland was a strong candidate for the Democratic Party because of his good work as president before. His main rival was David B. Hill, a senator from New York. Hill tried to bring together people who did not like Cleveland, but he could not get enough support to stop Cleveland. Cleveland was chosen as the candidate on the first try at the party meeting in Chicago.

The Democrats picked Adlai E. Stevenson from Illinois to be the vice president. This helped balance the ticket because Stevenson supported ideas like greenbacks and free silver, while Cleveland was more careful with money.

Campaign against Harrison

The Republicans chose President Harrison again, so the 1892 election was a repeat of the one from four years earlier. This election was quiet and respectful, partly because Harrison’s wife, Caroline, was very sick. She passed away two weeks before the election, and all the candidates stopped campaigning to honor her memory. This made Election Day a calm time for everyone.

One big issue was tariffs, which had made imported goods very costly. Many people now wanted changes to these rules and were not happy with big businesses. Some voters from the West switched to James B. Weaver, who led the new Populist Party. Weaver talked about fair pay for veterans and shorter workdays. In the end, Cleveland won by large numbers of votes, both from people and from states. This made him the first U.S. president to serve two terms that were not one after the other.

Second presidency (1893–1897)

Economic panic and the silver issue

Shortly after Grover Cleveland began his second term, a big problem called the Panic of 1893 happened. This caused a lot of trouble for the economy. There was also a big debate about whether the United States should use silver as money. Cleveland asked Congress to meet and solve this problem. After many discussions, they decided to stop using silver as money. This was a big change, even though some people still liked using silver.

Tariff reform

Cleveland also wanted to change the rules about how much people had to pay when they brought things into the country. A new law was suggested, but it went through many changes. Cleveland was not happy with the final version, but he let it become a law anyway.

Voting rights

Cleveland worked to change some laws about voting to make sure everyone had a fair chance. He helped repeal a law that had been put in place earlier.

Labor unrest

The big economic problem caused many workers to be upset. A group of workers led by Jacob S. Coxey marched to Washington, D.C., to ask for better jobs and fairer money rules. When they reached Washington, some of the leaders were arrested, and the group went away.

Pullman Strike

A much bigger problem happened when workers at the Pullman Company went on strike because they were not being paid well and had to work very long hours. Many other workers joined the strike, and it caused big problems for trains and mail delivery. Cleveland sent soldiers to help, which made many workers very angry.

Foreign policy, 1893–1897

Cleveland had to deal with many issues around the world. One big problem was about Hawaii. Some people in Hawaii had taken over the government, and Cleveland tried to help the old queen get her job back. He also had to solve a disagreement between Britain and Venezuela about land borders.

Military policy, 1893–1897

Cleveland wanted to make the military stronger. He helped build new ships for the navy and improved coast defenses.

Cancer

During his time in office, Cleveland had a sore in his mouth that turned out to be a growth. He had secret surgery to remove it, and he recovered well.

Administration and cabinet

Cleveland had some trouble getting his choices for important jobs approved by the Senate.

Judicial appointments

Cleveland tried to choose new judges for the highest court, but the Senate did not always agree with his choices.

States admitted to the Union

During Cleveland’s second term, Utah became a state in 1896.

Election of 1896 and retirement (1897–1908)

After Grover Cleveland left the White House in 1897, he lived quietly at his home, Westland Mansion, in Princeton, New Jersey. During this time, he was elected to the American Philosophical Society and helped support plans for Princeton University’s Graduate School. Cleveland shared his thoughts on important issues, including writing about the women’s suffrage movement in 1905. He believed that most women did not want to vote and that men and women had different roles in society.

In 1906, some people in New Jersey thought Cleveland might be a good candidate for the United States Senate, but he was not chosen for the position.

Death

Grover Cleveland's health had been getting worse for several years. In the fall of 1907, he became very sick. In 1908, he had a heart attack and passed away on June 24 at the age of 71 in his home in Princeton. His last words were, "I have tried so hard to do right." He is buried at Princeton Cemetery of the Nassau Presbyterian Church.

Honors and memorials

Grover Cleveland liked to get away from the busy city during the summer. During his first time as president, he bought a farmhouse called Oak View in a quiet part of Washington, D.C., in 1886. He fixed it up to be a nice summer home. After he left office in 1888, he sold the house. Later, the area grew and became known as Cleveland Heights, and there is a place called Cleveland Park today.

Many places are named after Cleveland. There is Grover Cleveland Hall at Buffalo State University in New York, Grover Cleveland Middle School in Caldwell, New Jersey, and Grover Cleveland High School in Buffalo, New York. There is also a town named Cleveland, Mississippi, and a mountain called Mount Cleveland in Alaska.

Cleveland was an important president, and he was even filmed when he was in office, making him the first U.S. president to be filmed. He appeared on stamps and money, including a $1000 bill and a $20 note. In 2012, special dollar coins were made to honor him as both the 22nd and 24th president. In 2013, he was added to the New Jersey Hall of Fame.