{"id":18129,"date":"2024-07-06T12:00:43","date_gmt":"2024-07-06T16:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=18129"},"modified":"2024-09-03T19:41:24","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T23:41:24","slug":"22-cleveland-grover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/?p=18129","title":{"rendered":"#22. Cleveland, Stephen Grover"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Linda Lou Burton posting from Little Rock, Arkansas<\/em> \u2013\u00a0Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 \u2013 June 24, 1908) was the 22nd president of the United States, from 1885-1889. He was also the 24th president of the United States, from 1893-1897, the only president in American history (as of this writing) to serve two non-consecutive terms in office. Grover Cleveland graces the history books as a man of firsts. He was the first Democrat elected after the Civil War.\u00a0He was the first president to get married in the White House, and, if you want a really unusual \u201cfirst\u201d tidbit about this man \u2013 he was no doubt the first to marry a woman whose baby carriage he bought some twenty years earlier! Yes, Grover was much older than pretty Miss Frances Folsom; she was 21 to his 49 when their wedding took place in the Blue Room of the White House June 2, 1886.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Uncle Cleve’s Gift<\/strong><\/p>\n

How in the world did such a romance come about? Did he really buy her baby carriage? Apparently so. You see, back in 1864 when she was born, Grover and Oscar Folsom were law partners in Buffalo, New York, so Grover was a natural part of the Folsom household. It makes sense that he presented the family with a nice gift to celebrate their baby\u2019s birth. And later, when Oscar died in a carriage accident, it also follows logically that \u201cUncle Cleve\u201d would help manage the Folsom estate and guide little Frances through her educational choices and opportunities. Frances was 11 when her father was killed; she had already been to French kindergarten and Miss Bissell\u2019s School for Young Ladies and was on her way to an education most girls of her time did not have. Why was Grover determined this would continue for her? His own childhood, perhaps? His father died when he was 16.<\/p>\n

Richard Falley Cleveland was Yale-educated, and as a Presbyterian minister, served churches in small towns in central New York and moved the family often. Grover was the fifth of nine children born to Richard and Ann \u2013 girls Ann, Margaret, Mary, Susan and Rose; boys Richard, Lewis, William and Grover. Stephen Grover Cleveland knew about the rigors and \"\"<\/a>complexity of living in a big family with a small income. He was a fun-loving kid, but always worked to help keep things afloat. After his father\u2019s death he had to forego more formal education to help support his mother and sisters. He worked with an older brother, then as a clerk and part-time law student in Buffalo. He never attended college, but was admitted to the bar in 1858 when he was 22.<\/p>\n

Moving On Up<\/strong><\/p>\n

His career stair-stepped from being a hardworking lawyer to running for District Attorney, which he lost, to running for Sheriff of Erie County, New York; which, with the help of friend and partner Oscar Folsom, he won. From Sheriff to Mayor of Buffalo next, then Governor of New York, and THEN, President of the United States just three years after his mayoring duties ended, receiving \"\"<\/a>4,879,507 votes from the American voting public.<\/p>\n

What was unique (and catching) about this man\u2019s personality? Would I invite him to my party? I think I probably would. And, I think he\u2019d come, at least if I promised a summer evening’s barbecue out in the back yard where deer occasionally wander. My favorite quote in all the chutzpah of political posturing is what he reputedly wrote to a friend after he moved into the White House: \u201cI must go to dinner but I wish it was to eat a pickled herring a Swiss cheese and a chop at Louis\u2019 instead of the French stuff I shall find.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

An Ordinary Guy<\/strong><\/p>\n

There was nothing fancy-schmancy about Grover. Even though his early hard work and reputation as a good lawyer brought in a good income, he chose to live simply. He lived in a boarding house. He took care of his mother and sisters. He led an active social life, though not the least interested in \u201chigh society.\u201d Grover preferred an easy-going sociability \u2013 drinking with his buddies, poker parties, hunting, fishing, and Democratic organizational work<\/em>. Building alliances, establishing connections, figuring out how things worked. And how they didn\u2019t. Now, another thing to note about this pragmatic fellow: he wasn\u2019t afraid to VETO anything he considered wasteful and corrupt. He did it as Mayor, he did it as Governor, and he did it as President. But before we talk about why he didn\u2019t get re-elected in 1888, let\u2019s go back to his romance with pretty young Frances.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Grover was a confirmed bachelor and FAT when he moved into the White House (not to be blunt, but hey, 280 pounds?). Frances was a beautiful young woman, with a well-educated head on her shoulders (all that guidance, remember). At Wells College in Aurora, New York she was a prominent student \u2013 she was interested in political science and was a member of the campus debate club. She was popular; in fact, she once received two marriage proposals on the same day! Didn\u2019t marry though. Grover was Governor of New York at that time, and as always, stayed in touch with Frances. He wrote to her and sent her flowers from time to time.<\/p>\n

Frances missed his Presidential inauguration because of final exams that day (and the school’s intolerance for not showing up), but she and her mother visited the White House a few weeks later. She liked Washington, and she liked the White House. Can you imagine the thrill of walking the grounds every evening with this new President, or hanging out in the East Room? She even got to go up in the Washington Monument before it opened!<\/p>\n

And Just Like Magic<\/strong><\/p>\n

Frances graduated and spent the summer at her grandfather\u2019s home. Grover took care of his new presidential duties with his sister Rose serving as White House hostess. But things had clicked between Grover and Frances. He proposed. By letter. And Frances accepted. Frances wanted to get married right away, but her mother, AND Grover, insisted she travel and think about her future before marriage. She began a year-long tour of Europe with her mother. \"\"<\/a>Rumors of an engagement were considered gossip; after all, Grover\u2019s attachments had often made the news. So you can guess what happened when reporters caught the Folsoms shopping for a wedding gown in Paris!<\/p>\n

By the time they returned from Europe reporters were tracking them. The minute the White House made an official announcement, Frances became a celebrity. And gosh, was that gal popular! Much of the media coverage focused on her appearance. Her style was imitated by women everywhere – the clothing she wore, even her hair. The \u201ca la Cleveland\u201d was a low knot over a shaved nape; her daring d\u00e9colletage was all the news \u2013 she even exposed her arms!<\/p>\n

But First Lady Frances took over her White House duties like a pro from the start. She maintained an openness with the public \u2013 for instance, in order to accommodate all who wanted to visit the White House, she hosted additional social events on Saturdays so working women could come. She read all the mail that came to her, including countless requests asking her to influence her husband in granting patronage jobs. She maintained close relationships with White House staff. She stayed involved with Wells College too, taking a seat on its board of trustees. Frances was so popular with the public that \"\"<\/a>it served her husband\u2019s administration well \u2013 Grover\u2019s political opponents recognized the difficulty of attacking the administration when the First Lady was so well loved.<\/p>\n

And gruff old Grover set aside time every day to spend with her \u2013 they went to the theater together (can you believe?). They took carriage rides! And they had babies, though not during that first term. They eventually had five children, but let\u2019s go back to politics for a moment and look at what was rumbling around the country during Grover\u2019s first term and how in heck a man with such a beloved spouse would get kicked out after only four years.<\/p>\n

When I Say No I Mean No<\/strong><\/p>\n

Remember what I said about his penchant for the VETO? In his first term as president, Grover vetoed 414 congressional proposals! His predecessor\u2019s record? 12 vetoes, in fact, no other president had come anywhere close. But Grover believed in honest politicking and small government in a time of notorious “Gilded Age” corruption. Some people will love you when you have the courage to stand up and block congressional proposals. And some people will not. Don\u2019t forget how media coverage can slant, and campaign funding can pressure.<\/p>\n

Grover\u2019s comment about all of this? \u201cWhat\u2019s the point of getting re-elected,\u201d he said, \u201cif you don\u2019t stand for anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Tariff policy was the principal issue in the 1888 election. Grover believed that high tariffs were unfair to consumers, and proposed a dramatic reduction. His opponent’s well-funded campaign sided with industrialists and factory workers who wanted to keep tariffs high. Grover stuck with the presidential tradition of the time for an incumbent – making no speeches. The bulk of the campaigning was left to Thurman.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>And yet Grover Cleveland won 48.6% of the POPULAR vote to his opponents 47.8%! Nevertheless, Benjamin Harrison received 233 ELECTORAL votes to Grover Cleveland\u2019s 168.<\/p>\n

Frances Cleveland\u2019s instructions to the staff as she left the White House? \u201cTake good care of the furniture and the house. We\u2019ll be back in four years.\u201d They headed for New York City where Grover took a position with a law firm, though most of their time they spent at Gray Gables, their vacation home on Cape Cod. Grover took up fishing, and Frances had a baby. \"\"<\/a>They named her Ruth.<\/p>\n

Currier & Ives Portrait<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Linda Lou Burton posting from Little Rock, Arkansas \u2013\u00a0Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 \u2013 June 24, 1908) was the 22nd president of the United States, from 1885-1889. He was also the 24th president of the United States, from 1893-1897, the only president in American history (as of this writing) to serve two non-consecutive terms […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4031],"tags":[4077,468],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18129"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18129"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18129\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26784,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18129\/revisions\/26784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18129"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18129"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capitalcitiesusa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18129"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}