Grover Cleveland

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Grover Cleveland
Grover cleveland.jpg
24th President of the United States
Term of office
March 4, 1893 - March 4, 1897[1]
Political party Democratic
Vice President Adlai E. Stevenson
Preceded by Benjamin Harrison
Succeeded by William McKinley
22nd President of the United States
Term of office
March 4, 1885 - March 4, 1889[2]
Vice-Presidents Thomas Hendricks (1885)
None (1885-1889)
Preceded by Chester A. Arthur
Succeeded by Benjamin Harrison
Born March 18, 1837
Caldwell, New Jersey
Died June 24, 1908
Princeton, New Jersey
Spouse Frances Folsom Cleveland
Religion Presbyterian

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.

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. [3]

Cleveland's first term (1885-1889) was uneventful, but his second term (1893-97) was fillled with economic crises and political upheavals. Cleveland was famous for breaking the Pullman strike of 1894, which was paralyzing much of the nationaal transportation grid west of Detroit. He was repudiated by his Democratic Party in 1896, as it nominated William Jennings Bryan in 1896, 1900 and 1908; Bryan lost each time. However the Democrats nominated Cleveland supporters Alton Parker in 1804 (he lost), and Wilson in 1912 (he won).


Early Career

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.

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.

Election of 1884

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!"

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

Grover Cleveland in June 1886 was married to Frances Folsom Cleveland in the White House. This was the second President married in office, and also married in the White House itself. Some were offended that Celveland was marrying somebody who was 21 years old and his legal guardian too. The Clevelands had many children while in office.

Actions as President

Cleveland voted against many spending bills and Government ideas, making him the first modern Conservative. He vetoed a bill to give $10,000 to distribute seed grain among drought-stricken farmers in Texas, and said: "Federal aid in such cases encourages the expectation of paternal care on the part of the Government and weakens the sturdiness of our national character...." He also blocked funding to Civil War veterans, which some said was good but some said went too far. Cleveland used the veto a lot but said he did not like Presidential power and thought the best thing he could do was to stop congress from doing bad things.

In 1886 Geronimo was captured by Grover Cleveland, ending the Indian wars.

The same year in October Cleveland finished the Statue of Liberty in New York and read its dedication in fluent French, as a tribute to its creator, Jean Renoir.

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

Lowering the tariff

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.

Navy 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.

1888 campaign

Cleveland lost the 1888 Presidential Election to Republican 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.

1892 campaign

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.

Second term

Depression

Pullman Strike

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."

Silver and gold

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.[4]

Wilson Gorman tariff

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.

Radical agrarians took ovber the Democratis party in 1896 and nominated firebrand William Jennings Bryan who denounced Cleveland, industrialists and bankers. Bruan called for more money in circulation by making cheap silver into legal currency. Many of Cleveland's closest associats bolted the Democratic party and formed the "Gold Democrats", but Cleveland himself remained silent.

Hawaii

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

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 died on June 24, 1908 from a heart and kidney disease, with his wife at his side. He is buried in the Princeton Cemetery. [5]

Honors and memorials

Cleveland has been on many dollar bills, including the $1000 bill and some of the first $20 bills before Andrew Jackson was put on.

He will be on two dollar coins to be released in 2012 like every other president will, except one for each presidency.

Trivia

  • He is both the 22nd and the 24th President because this confused people and he had to be proclaimed both presidents so the issue was cleared up.
  • The baseball player Grover Cleveland Alexander was named after him.
  • A riverboat known as the Cleveland Steamer was named after him.
  • Cleveland's grandson is a Presidential impersonator.
  • Cleveland's granddaughter Foot is a philosopher at Oxford.
  • 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.
  • Grover Cleveland's last words were "I have tried so hard to do right."

Bibliography

Biographies

  • 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


  • DeSantis, Vincent P. "Grover Cleveland: Another Look." Hayes Historical Journal 1980 3(1-2): 41-50. Issn: 0364-5924, argues his energy, honesty, and devotion to duty - much more than his actual accomplishments established his claim to greatness.
  • Graff, Henry F. Grover Cleveland (2002), 155pp; short scholarly biography
  • Jeffers, H. Paul. An Honest President: The Life and Presidencies of Grover Cleveland. 2000. 385 pp.
  • McElroy, Robert. Grover Cleveland, the Man and the Statesman: An Authorized Biography (1923) old, but useful online edition v 1; online edition vol 2
  • Merrill, Horace Samuel. Grover Cleveland and the Democratic Party (1957), short hostile biography by liberal scholar; generally hostile online edition
  • Nevins, Allan. Grover Cleveland: A Study in Courage (1932) Pulitzer prize biography; very well written and thorough
  • Whittle, James Lowry. Grover Cleveland (1896) 240 pages; old but fairly reliable study by British expert online edition

Specialized scholarly studies

  • Bard, Mitchell. "Ideology and Depression Politics I: Grover Cleveland (1893-1897)" Presidential Studies Quarterly 1985 15(1): 77-88.
  • Beito, David T., and Linda Royster Beito, "Gold Democrats and the Decline of Classical Liberalism, 1896-1900," Independent Review 4 (Spring 2000), 555-75. online edition
  • Blake, Nelson M. "Background of Cleveland's Venezuelan Policy." American Historical Review 1942 47(2): 259-277. in Jstor
    • LaFeber, Walter/ "The Background of Cleveland's Venezuelan Policy: A Reinterpretation," American Historical Review, Vol. 66, No. 4 (Jul., 1961), pp. 947-967 [URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1845865 in JSTOR], left-wing view
  • Blodgett, Geoffrey. "Ethno-cultural Realities in Presidential Patronage: Grover Cleveland's Choices" New York History 2000 81(2): 189-210. ISSN 0146-437X when a German American leader called for fewer appointments of Irish Americans, Cleveland instead appointed more Germans
  • Dewey, Davis R. National Problems: 1880-1897 (1907), survey of era online edition
  • Doenecke, Justus. "Grover Cleveland and the Enforcement of the Civil Service Act" Hayes Historical Journal 1984 4(3): 44-58. ISSN 0364-5924
  • Faulkner, Harold U. Politics, Reform, and Expansion, 1890-1900 (1959), survey of decade, online edition
  • Ford, Henry Jones. The Cleveland Era: A Chronicle of the New Order in Politics (1921), short overview online
  • Hirsch, Mark D. William C. Whitney, Modern Warwick (1948), good scholarly biography of close aide online edition
  • Hoffman, Karen S. "'Going Public' in the Nineteenth Century: Grover Cleveland's Repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act" Rhetoric & Public Affairs 2002 5(1): 57-77. in Project Muse
  • Jensen, Richard. The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1888-1896 (1971)
  • Kelley, Robert. "Presbyterianism, Jacksonianism and Grover Cleveland." American Quarterly 1966 18(4): 615-636. Jstor
  • Klinghard, Daniel P. "Grover Cleveland, William McKinley, and the Emergence of the President as Party Leader." Presidential Studies Quarterly, Vol. 35, 2005 online edition
  • McCarthy, G. Michael. "The Forest Reserve Controversy: Colorado under Cleveland and McKinley," Journal of Forest History, Vol. 20, No. 2 (Apr., 1976), pp. 80-90 in JSTOR
  • Meador, Daniel J. "Lamar to the Court: Last Step to National Reunion" Supreme Court Historical Society Yearbook 1986: 27-47. ISSN 0362-5249
  • Morgan, H. Wayne. From Hayes to McKinley: National Party Politics, 1877-1896 (1969), thorough scholarly survey online edition
  • Summers, Mark Wahlgren. Rum, Romanism & Rebellion: The Making of a President, 1884 (2000) campaign techniques and issues online edition
  • Welch, Richard E. Jr. The Presidencies of Grover Cleveland (1988) standard scholarly overview of his two administrations
  • Wilson, Woodrow, Mr. Cleveland as President Atlantic Monthly (March 1897): pp. 289-301 online Woodrow Wilson became President in 1912; he was a Cleveland supporter and this is a favorable essay.

Primary sources

External links

notes

  1. ↑ http://www.trivia-library.com/a/22nd-and-24th-us-president-grover-cleveland.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.trivia-library.com/a/22nd-and-24th-us-president-grover-cleveland.htm
  3. ↑ Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen, "A Patriot's History of the United States" (Sentinel 2007)
  4. ↑ Samuel Rezneck, "Unemployment, Unrest and Relief in the United States during the Depression of 1893-1897," Journal of Political Economy 61 (1953): 324-45 in JSTOR; Charles Hoffmann, "The Depression of the Nineties," Journal of Economic History 16 (1956): 137-64 in JSTOR
  5. ↑ Encyclopedia of Presidents by Zachary Kent, Chicago Press, 1988.



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