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'''Stephen Grover Cleveland''' was the 22nd and 24th [[President of the United States of America]], and was unique in that he was the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms. He was elected in 1884, defeated for reelection in 1888, then elected to a second term in 1892. Cleveland was the only [[Democrat]] elected president between [[James Buchanan]] in 1856 and [[Woodrow Wilson]] in 1812.

'''Stephen Grover Cleveland''' was the 22nd and 24th [[President of the United States of America]], and was unique in that he was the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms. He was the only [[Democrat]] elected to the Presidency in the [[Republican]] dynasty that lasted from 1850s to when [[Woodrow Wilson]] was President. Many contemporary politicians praise him for his commitment to [[conservative]] thinking. Much like modern conservatives he opposed imperialism, corruption, patronage, corporate subsidies, taxes and inflation. It has been said that Cleveland was the last small government presidential candidate the Democrats ever elected. <ref>Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen, "A Patriot's History of the United States" (Sentinel 2007)</ref>

Cleveland was best known in his time for his honesty and courage, his leadership of the business-oriented [[Bourbon Democrats]],  and his opposition to the leftist forces that were overwhelming the Democratic party. In the 21st century some conservatives praise his values. Cleveland supported the gold standard and lower tariffs, and opposed imperialism, corruption, patronage, veterans' pensions, high taxes and silver-based inflation. It has been said that Cleveland was the last small government president the Democrats ever elected. <ref>Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen, "A Patriot's History of the United States" (Sentinel 2007)</ref>

Cleveland was famous for busting the union train saboteurs during the Pullman strike of 1894 which angered the unions. He was also a big supporter of gold and a sworn enemy of silver. Even though he was the sitting President, unions and silver people kicked him out of the party, eventually, signifying a drastic shift of the Democrats to the left and leading to the nomination of [[William Jennings Bryan]] in the [[United States presidential election, 1896|1896 Presidential election]].

Cleveland was born in Caldwell, New Jersey on March 18, 1837; he had five brothers and four sisters. His father Richard Falley Cleveland was a Yale graduate and a [[Presbyterian]] clergyman, of Yankee descent. Cleveland's Puritan ancestors had moved to Massachusetts from England in 1635. Grover's mother, Ann Neal Cleveland, was the daughter of a Baltimore publisher. In 1841 the parents moved to Fayetteville, N.Y., and later to Clinton, N.Y., where Richard Cleveland died in 1853. Young Grover Cleveland was a mediocre student; he graduated from high school but never attended college. He worked for a time in a general store and then in an asylum for the blind. He moved to the growing lake city of Buffalo, N.Y. clerked in a law office and after a few years of tutorials was admitted to the Buffalo bar in 1859. He was the chief support for his widowed mother, so when he was drafted during the Civil War he hired a substitute; it later proved a political embarrassment.  

He graduated from Princeton and became a lawyer in [[Buffalo]] New York. After being a lawyer, he was elected sheriff of [[Erie]] in 1870 and hung many people while in office personally. He was a strong supporter of the Death Penalty.

Cleveland, a democrat active in local affairs, in 1863 was appointed assistant district attorney of Erie County, N.Y., which included the city of Buffalo. In 1865 he lost the election for District Attorney and became a partner in a private law practice, earning an about $10,000 a year (triple the average for lawyers).  In 1871 he was elected Erie County sheriff and established a reputation as an honest and capable public official. In 1881, as the reform candidate for mayor of Buffalo, Cleveland was easily elected. He instituted numerous reforms, emphasizing efficiency and economy in his administration. Friends called him the "veto mayor" because of his repeated use of the veto power to slow the spending by the city council.

He was a big friend of [[Teddy Roosevelt]]. When he was 40 he ran for Mayor of Buffalo and won. Many people praised his honesty and he was very popular. In 1882, he was elected Governor.

The election of 1884 saw a very close contest that turned on the electoral vote of New York. Cleveland crusaded against the corruptions represented by long-time Washington insider [[James G, Blaine]], the GOP candidate. The discovery that Cleveland -- a bachelor--was paying child support gave the GOP a moralistic issue of its own. Blaine had made inroads into the Irish Catholic vote, normally 90+% Democratic, but lost it at the last minute. Cleveland's narrow margin in New York proved decisive.

Part of Blaine's problem centered around a suspicious letter which terminated with the words, "burn this letter."  Blaine's detractors would march and chant "Burn, Burn, Burn this letter!"

Both Democrats and Republicans voted for Cleveland for President because his opponent, James G. Blaine, was tarnished with allegations of corruption.  Part of Blaine's problem centered around a suspicious letter which terminated with the words, "burn this letter."  Blaine's detractors would march and chant "Burn, Burn, Burn this letter!"

Cleveland opponents sought to use the fact that he had an illegitimate child against him.  However Cleveland, nicknamed "Grover the Good," proved himself to be a man of integrity; rather than denying the allegations, he owned up to the fact that he had an illegitimate child.  Even though Cleveland's opponents would shout, "Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?", his supporters had a trenchant rejoinder, "Gone to the White House! Ha Ha Ha!"   

In a similar manner, Cleveland opponents sought to use the fact that he had an illegitimate child against him.  However Cleveland, nicknamed "Grover the Good," proved himself to be a man of integrity; rather than denying the allegations, he owned up to the fact that he had an illegitimate child.  Even though Cleveland's opponents would shout, "Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?", his supporters had a trenchant rejoinder, "Gone to the White House! Ha Ha Ha!"   

===Personal life===

===Personal life===

Critics criticizing Cleveland criticize him for signing the Interstate Commerce Act this term, the first critical attempt at Federal regulation.

Critics criticizing Cleveland criticize him for signing the Interstate Commerce Act this term, the first critical attempt at Federal regulation.

===Lowering the tariff===

===Against Tarrifs===

In 1887 Cleveland began to battle the tariff, as a bad combination of corruption, inefficiency, and unnecessary taxation. [[Republicans]] claimed a high tariff made for high wages, high profits, and fast economic expansion. Cleveland was not able to kill the tariff, and was defeated in 1888 because of it. The lower Mills Bill of 1888 failed to pass and the high tariff remained. In 1890 the Republicans raised rates again in the [[McKinley Tariff]], which proved politically disasterous for the GOP.

In 1887 Cleveland began to battle the tariff. Unlike today [[Republicans]] claimed a high tariff made for high wages, high profits, and fast economic expansion. Cleveland was not able to kill the tariff, and was defeated in 1888 because of it.  

===Navy Buildup===

===Military Buildup===

Cleveland did not think the United States should invade another country for any reason. However, Cleveland also was in favor of having a strong national defense, and built up the U.S. Navy.  

A very conservative man, Cleveland did not think the United States should invade another country for any reason. However, Cleveland also was in favor of having a strong national defense, and built up the U.S. navy to a huge extent. [[Teddy Roosevelt]] was his secretary of the Navy.

==1888 campaign==

==1888 campaign==

Cleveland lost the [[United States presidential election, 1888|1888 Presidential Election]] to Republican [[Benjamin Harrison|Benjamin Harrison]]. There were no majorissues, as both parties rallied their armies of voters and the GOP did a slightly better job. Harrison won the Electoral College by a 204-197 margin, but Cleveland won the popular vote. Out of office, moved to New York City, joining the prestigious Bangs, Stetson, Tracy and MacVeagh law firm; he enjoyed a busy practice, chiefly as a referee appointed by the courts.  

Cleveland lost the [[United States presidential election, 1888|1888 Presidential Election]] to Republican [[Benjamin Harrison|Benjamin Harrison]], one of the few times the Republican was less conservative than the Democrat. Harrison won the Electoral College by a 204-197 margin, but Cleveland won the popular vote. This was the last campaign prior to the [[United States presidential election, 2000|2000 Bush and Gore presidential election]] that the winner did not receive the popular vote.

==1892 campaign==

==2nd Presidency==

The Democrats won a landslide in the Congressional elections of 1890, attacking the McKinley Tariff, and the efforts of the GOP in Wisconsin and Illinois to shut down many religious schools. Cleveland easily defeated Harrison in 1892, and the Democrats controlled both houses of Congress.  

Cleveland campaigned to reduce the tariff and stopping the silver people which had lessened the gold reserves of the U.S. Treasury. Cleveland became the only person ever elected president twice when he was elected again in the [[United States presidential election, 1892|1892 Eresidential Election]].

===Second term ===

===As President===

Like [[George W. Bush]], Cleveland was beset by a stock market crash shortly after becoming president. He successfully navigated the country out of that crisis.

1894 was the year of the famous Pullman strike in Chicago, where workers tried to stop delivering the mail. He sent the army to Chicago to battle the unionizers, saying that "If it takes the entire army and navy of the United States to deliver a postcard in Chicago that card will be delivered."

1884 was the year of the famous Pullman strike in Chicago, where workers tried to stop delivering the mail. He sent the army to Chicago to battle the unionizers, saying that "If it takes the entire army and navy of the United States to deliver a postcard in Chicago that card will be delivered."

The Sherman Silver Purchase Act of 1890 required the government to buy 4,500,000 ounces of silver each month, and to pay for it with the issue of new paper money. Conservatives denounced this as a wasteful subsidy to the silver miners and mine owners, and that it endangered the gold standard because there was not gold in the treasury to redeem all of the new government notes.  Using all his pwoers of persuasion and patronage, Cleveland forced the repeal of the law in October, 1893.

The depression continued to worsened, reaching a nadir in mid-1894. Prices, trade and profits continued to fall, and unemployment reached 20%. Some 156 railroads with 30,000 miles of track went bankrupt along with 800 banks and many small businesses.<ref>  Samuel Rezneck, "Unemployment, Unrest and Relief in the United States during the Depression of 1893-1897," ''Journal of Political Economy'' 61 (1953): 324-45 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1826883  in JSTOR]; Charles Hoffmann, "The Depression of the Nineties," ''Journal of Economic History'' 16 (1956): 137-64 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/2114113  in JSTOR]</ref>

====Wilson Gorman tariff====

Again he tried to kill the tariff in 1893. The "Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act" was very good at first, but when it went through the Senate it became very bad and filled with loopholes. However, the bill eventually was passed and the tarrif was partially killed, but not enough so that Cleveland refused to sign the bill.

Again he tried to lower the tariff in 1893. The House did vote much lower rates, but protectionist Democrats in the Senate raised them again, and added an income tax, leaving Cleveland's main campaign issue in shambles. He allowed the "Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act" to become law without his signature in 1894.  

 

Liberals took over the Democrats in 1896 and with the help of Populist firebrand William Jennings Bryan tried to end the use of gold and protectionism. Jennings lost the Presidency in 1896 and 1900, but in 1904 conservatives and Cleveland came back, and nominated successful candidate (although he did not win because of the strong candidacy of Theodore Roosevelt) Alton Parker.

 

==Military==

Cleveland was good at pushing around the English without evoking war, and did a lot of stuff with the power of his Navy, which he continued to build. This Navy was so strong it helped to bring about a quick American victory in the [[Spanish-American war]] in 1898 when Cleveland was out of office.

At first Cleveland did not support the revolutionaries in Hawaii who in 1894 overthrew the queen and established a Democracy. In fact, he tried to discredit their actions via the controversial Blount Report issued by [[James Henderson Blount]] under his direction. Later, however, he supported the revolutionaries when the Queen demanded the death of every single one.

At first Cleveland did not support the revolutionaries in Hawaii who in 1894 overthrew the queen and established a Democracy. In fact, he tried to discredit their actions via the controversial Blount Report issued by [[James Henderson Blount]] under his direction. Later, however, he supported the revolutionaries when the Queen demanded the death of every single one.

==Retirement==

===Death and Later Life===

Cleveland, nicknamed 'the Growler', retired to [[Princeton]]. There he became enemies with Woodrow Wilson, who was President of the school. Some people wanted him to run again in 1904, but he was too old. Sometimes President Theodore Roosevelt asked him for advice.

Cleveland, nicknamed 'the Growler', retired to [[Princeton]]. There he became enemies with Woodrow Wilson, who was President of the school. Some people wanted him to run again in 1904, but he was too old. Sometimes President Theodore Roosevelt asked him for advice.

*Many people said Cleveland was harsh to the poor, but he just favored personal accountability.

*Many people said Cleveland was harsh to the poor, but he just favored personal accountability.

* Cleveland and Theodore Roosevelt were the only law enforcement officials to become president.

*Cleveland was the only police officer to ever become president.

* Grover Cleveland's last words were "I have tried so hard to do right."

* Grover Cleveland's last words were "I have tried so hard to do right."

==Bibliography==

==References==

===Biographies===

*[http://www.usa-presidents.info/speeches/hawaii.html President Cleveland Message about Hawaii December 18, 1893] - Cleveland's message where he tried to discredit the Hawaiian Revolution. It was contradicted by the Congressionally issued Morgan Report in 1894.

* Blodgett, Geoffrey. "The Emergence of Grover Cleveland: a Fresh Appraisal" ''New York History'' 1992 73(2): 132-168. ISSN 0146-437X cover Cleveland to 1884

* Brodsky, Alyn. ‘’Grover Cleveland: A Study in Character’’ (2000) - 496 pages; popular biography

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