Grover Cleveland
President of the United States (1885–89; 1893–97) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) was an American politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. He is the only president in U.S. history to serve non-consecutive presidential terms.[lower-alpha 2] In the years before his presidency, he served as a mayor and as governor of New York state, winning fame as an anti-corruption crusader. Cleveland was the first Democrat to win the presidency after the Civil War, and was one of two Democratic presidents, followed by Woodrow Wilson in 1912, in an era when Republicans dominated the presidency between 1869 and 1933. He won the popular vote in three presidential elections—1884, 1888, and 1892. Benjamin Harrison won the electoral college vote, and thus the presidency, in 1888.
Grover Cleveland | |
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| 22nd & 24th President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1897 | |
| Vice President | Adlai Stevenson I |
| Preceded by | Benjamin Harrison |
| Succeeded by | William McKinley |
| In office March 4, 1885 – March 4, 1889 | |
| Vice President |
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| Preceded by | Chester A. Arthur |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Harrison |
| 28th Governor of New York | |
| In office January 1, 1883 – January 6, 1885 | |
| Lieutenant | David B. Hill |
| Preceded by | Alonzo B. Cornell |
| Succeeded by | David B. Hill |
| 35th Mayor of Buffalo | |
| In office January 2, 1882 – November 20, 1882 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander Brush |
| Succeeded by | Marcus M. Drake |
| 17th Sheriff of Erie County | |
| In office January 1, 1871 – December 31, 1873 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Darcy |
| Succeeded by | John B. Weber |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Stephen Grover Cleveland (1837-03-18)March 18, 1837 Caldwell, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | June 24, 1908(1908-06-24) (aged 71) Princeton, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Resting place | Princeton Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 6, including Ruth, Esther, Richard, and Francis |
| Parent |
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| Relatives |
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| Signature |  |
During his 1892 election campaign. The authenticity is in doubt and the recording has also been attributed towards William Jennings Bryan's Cross of Gold speech. Recorded 1892 (if authentic) | |
Cleveland was elected mayor of Buffalo in 1881 and governor of New York in 1882. While governor, he closely cooperated with state assembly minority leader Theodore Roosevelt to pass reform measures, winning national attention.[1] He led the Bourbon Democrats, a pro-business movement opposed to high tariffs, free silver, inflation, imperialism, and subsidies to business, farmers, or veterans. His crusade for political reform and fiscal conservatism made him an icon for American conservatives of the time.[2] Cleveland also won praise for honesty, self-reliance, integrity, and commitment to the principles of classical liberalism.[3] His fight against political corruption, patronage, and bossism convinced many like-minded Republicans, called "Mugwumps", to cross party lines and support him in the 1884 election. Fifteen months into his first presidential term, he married Frances Folsom on June 2, 1886.[4] After losing the 1888 election to Harrison, he moved to New York City with his wife and joined a law firm. At the 1892 Democratic National Convention, he won the nomination on the first ballot, and the 1892 election restored him to the White House. As his second administration began, the Panic of 1893 sparked a severe national depression. Many voters blamed the Democrats, opening the way for a Republican landslide in 1894 and for the agrarian and silverite seizure of the Democratic Party in 1896. This led to a political realignment that started the Fourth Party System and the Progressive Era.[5] An anti-imperialist,[6] Cleveland opposed the push to annex Hawaii, launched an investigation into the 1893 coup against the Hawaiian queen, and called for her to be restored; the House of Representatives adopted a resolution against annexation.[7][8]
Cleveland was a formidable policymaker, but also garnered criticism. He intervened in the 1894 Pullman Strike to keep the railroads moving, angering both Illinois Democrats and labor unions nationwide; his support of the gold standard and opposition to free silver alienated the agrarian wing of the Democratic Party.[9] Critics complained that Cleveland had little imagination and seemed overwhelmed by the nation's economic disasters—depressions and strikes—in his second term.[9] In his memoirs, future president Harry S. Truman expressed criticism of Cleveland's handling of labor strikes in his second term, arguing that "Cleveland had a lot of trouble with strikes and riots, but the Democratic Party, as usual, was on the liberal side during his second administration. But the President was not. He became an ultra-conservative.”[10]
Even so, his reputation for probity and good character survived the troubles of his second term. Biographer Allan Nevins wrote, "[I]n Grover Cleveland, the greatness lies in typical rather than unusual qualities. He had no endowments that thousands of men do not have. He possessed honesty, courage, firmness, independence, and common sense. But he possessed them to a degree other men do not."[11] By the end of his second term, he was severely unpopular, even among Democrats.[12] After leaving the White House, Cleveland lived in retirement at his estate, Westland Mansion, and served as a trustee of Princeton University. He continued to voice his political views, but fell seriously ill during the autumn of 1907. He died in 1908, aged 71. Today, Cleveland is praised for honesty, integrity, adherence to his morals, defying party boundaries, and effective leadership and is typically ranked in the middle to upper tier of U.S. presidents.