Hail to the Chiefs Part XXII: Your Old Pal Grover
Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached the halfway mark. We're also rapidly nearing the end of the 19th century which will mean no more Gilded Age Caretaker Presidents! (A few Jazz age ones, but that's a ways off....)
Grover Cleveland is best known as the only president with two non-consecutive terms, and the one who throws off everybody's count. There were 44 presidential administrations, but only 43 men have been president. Even President Obama screwed that up in his inauguration speech and I thought "Ah, Grover Cleveland strikes again!"
Because of the last name, I always figured our pal Grover was either from Cleveland, Ohio, or Cleveland, Ohio was named after him. Neither one is the case. Cleveland was born Stephen Grover Cleveland in Caldwell, New Jersey: the son of a Presbyterian minister and an Irish minister. He was the 5th of 9 children (too bad he wasn't 7 of 9....) Most of his childhood Cleveland's family moved from place to place as his dad got positions in different churches.
Cleveland hoped to go to college like one of his older brothers. Unfortunately, around the time he was finishing high school, his father died. He needed to go to work to help support his mother and younger siblings. His brother taught at the New York Institute for the Blind and got Grover a position as an assistant. He figured out pretty quickly this wasn't a good long term career choice. He decided to go to Cleveland, OH and study law. (And wouldn't THAT have added to the confusion of a biography!) However, when he went to his uncle to request a loan, the uncle suggested Buffalo was a much more up and coming place. Grover took the suggestion. Ultimately he wound up beginning his law career at the same law firm that Millard Fillmore used to work for. When the Civil War came, Cleveland legally evaded the draft by paying a Polish immigrant to serve in his place. This would make him the only president between 1871-1901 not to be a Civil War general.
Cleveland's first elected position was as sheriff of Buffalo. He took pride in personally doing any of the executions himself. Later he was elected Mayor of Buffalo. In this period of time the United States was starting to shift away from the spoils system into Civil Service reform. Grover Cleveland was very much of the Civil Service reform mindset. He earned a reputation for being honest and hardworking. He rarely left his desk during the day. And for the most part, his only vice was over-eating.
In 1884 there was a rather dramatic back and forth with votes for potential candidates at the Democratic Convention. In those days it was a genuine mystery who would emerge as the candidate. Cleveland ultimately won out against the Tammany Hall political machine. It was a major coup.
The campaign against Secretary of State James G. Blaine was nasty....but filled with really catchy slogans. The Democrats would chant: "Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine...the continental liar from the state of Maine." Whereas the Republican slogan of choice was "Ma! Ma! Where's my pa? Over in the White House. Ha ha ha!"
Grover Cleveland would become the first American president to admit to having an illegitimate child. (I think it's safe to say Thomas Jefferson was the first American president to have an illegitimate child but not admit it!) However as is often the case, the truth was more complicated than the rumors. In 1874 Cleveland payed child support to a woman named Maria Halpin who gave birth to a child she named Oscar Folsom Cleveland. It's very possible the child was his. It's also possible that the child was either his, or from Cleveland's best friend Oscar Folsom. Folsom had died in a carriage accident in 1873, and it's possible Cleveland was protecting his late friend's reputation.
Cleveland was also helping to support Folsom's widow and daughter, I kid you not, named "Frank." She later went by Frances. Cleveland was secretly carrying a torch for Frances despite the fact that he knew her since she was a baby, and he was her legal guardian. Although to show how different 19th century standards are from today....nobody found it remotely creepy when they eventually married.
When Cleveland was elected, he shocked the Washington establishment by announcing any Republican in the Civil Service that was doing good work could keep their job. While he ultimately had to relent and still deal with some office seekers, this was light years ahead of what Garfield had had to deal with just 4 years before.
I've read in more than once source that Cleveland had the potential to be a great president, but he had the misfortune of living in a time of peace and prosperity, with no major crisis for him to show his stuff. Issues in his first term were less than exciting ones such as lowering tariffs (which he supported), and a debate over whether provide Civil War veterans with private pensions (which he opposed.)
However easily the most exciting thing to happen in his first term was his marriage to 20 year old Frances Folsom. She was said to be the most beautiful first lady until Jackie Kennedy. This would also be the very first wedding in the White House. Marriage and family somewhat helped Grover Cleveland's image.....but it didn't do enough to help re-elect him. He was defeated by Republican Benjamin Harrison in the 1888 election. However, as they were packing up, Frances said to a staff member "Now Jerry I want you to take good care of all the furniture and ornaments in the house, for I want to find everything just as it is now, when we come back again."
Stay tuned....
Of course for my video clip, I opted for another furry Grover that was dedicated to his mother. (Sadly the resemblance ends there or I'd be enjoying this research a looot more.) In this particular clip, there is even a mention of Grover Cleveland's adopted hometown of Buffalo.
Grover Cleveland is best known as the only president with two non-consecutive terms, and the one who throws off everybody's count. There were 44 presidential administrations, but only 43 men have been president. Even President Obama screwed that up in his inauguration speech and I thought "Ah, Grover Cleveland strikes again!"
Because of the last name, I always figured our pal Grover was either from Cleveland, Ohio, or Cleveland, Ohio was named after him. Neither one is the case. Cleveland was born Stephen Grover Cleveland in Caldwell, New Jersey: the son of a Presbyterian minister and an Irish minister. He was the 5th of 9 children (too bad he wasn't 7 of 9....) Most of his childhood Cleveland's family moved from place to place as his dad got positions in different churches.
Cleveland hoped to go to college like one of his older brothers. Unfortunately, around the time he was finishing high school, his father died. He needed to go to work to help support his mother and younger siblings. His brother taught at the New York Institute for the Blind and got Grover a position as an assistant. He figured out pretty quickly this wasn't a good long term career choice. He decided to go to Cleveland, OH and study law. (And wouldn't THAT have added to the confusion of a biography!) However, when he went to his uncle to request a loan, the uncle suggested Buffalo was a much more up and coming place. Grover took the suggestion. Ultimately he wound up beginning his law career at the same law firm that Millard Fillmore used to work for. When the Civil War came, Cleveland legally evaded the draft by paying a Polish immigrant to serve in his place. This would make him the only president between 1871-1901 not to be a Civil War general.
Cleveland's first elected position was as sheriff of Buffalo. He took pride in personally doing any of the executions himself. Later he was elected Mayor of Buffalo. In this period of time the United States was starting to shift away from the spoils system into Civil Service reform. Grover Cleveland was very much of the Civil Service reform mindset. He earned a reputation for being honest and hardworking. He rarely left his desk during the day. And for the most part, his only vice was over-eating.
In 1884 there was a rather dramatic back and forth with votes for potential candidates at the Democratic Convention. In those days it was a genuine mystery who would emerge as the candidate. Cleveland ultimately won out against the Tammany Hall political machine. It was a major coup.
The campaign against Secretary of State James G. Blaine was nasty....but filled with really catchy slogans. The Democrats would chant: "Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine...the continental liar from the state of Maine." Whereas the Republican slogan of choice was "Ma! Ma! Where's my pa? Over in the White House. Ha ha ha!"
Grover Cleveland would become the first American president to admit to having an illegitimate child. (I think it's safe to say Thomas Jefferson was the first American president to have an illegitimate child but not admit it!) However as is often the case, the truth was more complicated than the rumors. In 1874 Cleveland payed child support to a woman named Maria Halpin who gave birth to a child she named Oscar Folsom Cleveland. It's very possible the child was his. It's also possible that the child was either his, or from Cleveland's best friend Oscar Folsom. Folsom had died in a carriage accident in 1873, and it's possible Cleveland was protecting his late friend's reputation.
Cleveland was also helping to support Folsom's widow and daughter, I kid you not, named "Frank." She later went by Frances. Cleveland was secretly carrying a torch for Frances despite the fact that he knew her since she was a baby, and he was her legal guardian. Although to show how different 19th century standards are from today....nobody found it remotely creepy when they eventually married.
When Cleveland was elected, he shocked the Washington establishment by announcing any Republican in the Civil Service that was doing good work could keep their job. While he ultimately had to relent and still deal with some office seekers, this was light years ahead of what Garfield had had to deal with just 4 years before.
I've read in more than once source that Cleveland had the potential to be a great president, but he had the misfortune of living in a time of peace and prosperity, with no major crisis for him to show his stuff. Issues in his first term were less than exciting ones such as lowering tariffs (which he supported), and a debate over whether provide Civil War veterans with private pensions (which he opposed.)
However easily the most exciting thing to happen in his first term was his marriage to 20 year old Frances Folsom. She was said to be the most beautiful first lady until Jackie Kennedy. This would also be the very first wedding in the White House. Marriage and family somewhat helped Grover Cleveland's image.....but it didn't do enough to help re-elect him. He was defeated by Republican Benjamin Harrison in the 1888 election. However, as they were packing up, Frances said to a staff member "Now Jerry I want you to take good care of all the furniture and ornaments in the house, for I want to find everything just as it is now, when we come back again."
Stay tuned....
Of course for my video clip, I opted for another furry Grover that was dedicated to his mother. (Sadly the resemblance ends there or I'd be enjoying this research a looot more.) In this particular clip, there is even a mention of Grover Cleveland's adopted hometown of Buffalo.
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