Top 10 Interesting Facts about Grover Cleveland

Hon. Grover Cleveland, photo by States Library of Congress’s. Wikimedia commons

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland whose full name is Stephen Grover Cleveland was born on the 18^th of March 1837 and died on the 24^th of June 1908. He is known to be the only president who ever served two non-consecutive years.

He is also known to be the only president who married in the White House. He came from a humble background but this did not dim his dreams in the legal and political career. He was on and off school because his father straggled to fend for him and his siblings.

During his first term in presidency, his view of the president’s function as primarily to block legislative excesses made him quite popular during his first term, but that view cost him public support during his second term.

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1.During Cleveland`s second term in presidency, United States was experiencing the worst economic depression

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Cleveland served his first term in the office from the year 1885 to 1889 and later on served his second term form the year 1893 to 1897. He is the only American president to serve two non-consecutive terms.

In his second term, America was faced with one of its worst depression. Cleveland believed that the cause of the depression was that the Sherman Silver Purchase Act at the time had led to the instability of the currency.

He subsequently called for a congress meeting to repeal the said Act. His actions where however received opposition from the Southern and Western members of his party. At this moment his popularity began to diminish.

2.Grover Cleveland stands to be the only president in the United States to serve two non-consecutive terms

 Steven Grover Cleveland was an American Lawyer and politician. Cleveland stands alone in American history as the only President to serve non-consecutive terms. His first term began in the year 1885 to 1889.

He later on served his second term from the year 1893 to 1897. His political career began way back in 1881 where he was elected as a mayor in Buffalo. He was the leader of the Bourbon Democrats. They were aligned with conservatism and classical liberalism.

He was known for fighting against political corruption, Patronage and bossism. His ideologies and believed were what made his president twice in the United States. Cleveland is known as the 22^nd and 24^th president. He however lost to Benjamin Harrison in the year 1888.

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3.Cleveland had a career in teaching before venturing into the legal career

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Cleveland was a teacher at the New York Institute for the Blind in Manhattan before deciding to pursue a legal career. This was because his parents were unable to pay for a collage education at the moment.

His father had died at that moment and therefore his mother could not afford to fend for him and his siblings. He worked at the school before moving to Buffalo to work as a clerk.

After clerking for a few years, Cleveland passed the bar examination without even attending a collage. He was admitted into the bar in the year 1859. He later on in the year 1862 started his own law firm.

4.Grover came from a humble background

Grover Cleveland, photo by Frederick Gutekunst. Wikimedia commons

Grover Cleveland`s parents were not wealthy and had to straggle to fend for their nine children. His father, Richard Falley Cleveland was a pastor and missionary who never mad e enough to feed his family of nine children.

His parent’s situation forced Cleveland to quit school several times in order to assist his parents to fend for the rest of the family. He even lacked the funds to proceed with his college education.

Grover was forced to start working as soon as he completed his high school. He began his teaching career in New York before proceeding to Buffalo to work as a clerk.

5.Grover Cleveland’s Uncle, Lewis W. Allen Got Him Started in Politics

Cleveland’s uncle was Lewis W. Allen, an important man who introduced him to politicians and prominent lawyers. He is regarded as a crucial element to his success in the legal and political field.

As Cleveland was working in the law firm in Buffalo, he gained the needed skills and interest to peruse his interests in the legal profession. He was eve admitted into the bar after his success in the examination.

His success in the bar examination marked his entry in the legal and political field. He started his law firm and eventually became Erie County`s district attorney of the year. This was the takeoff of his career. In his political career he was the first president to serve for two non-consecutive terms

6.Cleveland was the first president to marry in the White house

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Cleveland assumed office while being single and married while still in office. Before his marriage to Frances Folsom, his sister had to take up the duties of First Lady in the White House.

Frances Folsom was among the few females who were fortunate enough to join collage for further education. She was at a student at the Wells Collage at the moment they met with Cleveland.

The two got married on the 2^nd of June 1886 in the Blue Room in the white House. Cleveland still remains the first president to marry in the White House.

7.Grover Cleveland Fought Corruption as Mayor of New York City

In Cleveland`s political career, he was once a Mayor of the New York City. At that moment when he served under the office, the city and its surrounding was full of corruption allegations.

Cleveland made efforts to reduce the rate of corruption in the area. He sought to fight the norm in awarding to the highest bidder instead of the lowest. When Cleveland became the city’s mayor in 1882, he fought such practices by publically shaming those leaders responsible, paving the way for his president.

8.Grover Cleveland Modernized the Country’s Infrastructure

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Before Cleveland became president, the United States lacked regulations and government oversight. This in the long run affected the development of the States. Public Infrastructure was not standardized at that moment.

Infrastructure in the states was greatly affected by the lack of oversight in the government. Other affected sectors were the navy, roads and railway lines. These sectors suffered because of the ill private interest of stakeholders of the sectors.

 Cleveland set up the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1887 to regulate the roads and railways. He did the same with the navy, which had previously been producing substandard ships because of business interests.

His actions were beneficial to the state’s economy as it led to growth and infrastructure that had lagged for quite a while. Thanks to him, America finally modernized its naval ships and public infrastructure.

9.Grover Cleveland Killed

With the help of his friend Oscar Folsom, Cleveland secured the Democratic nomination for Sheriff of Erie County, New York. He won the election with a slim margin. He held this post from the year 1870 to1873.

While still in office, he was required to execute Patrick Morrissey who had been condemned for murder. He was obligated to execute the man or pay a $10 fee to his deputy to execute the orders on his behalf.

Already renowned for his tight purse strings, Cleveland chose to personally hang the man himself. In 1873, he also hanged John Gaffney, another convicted murderer.

10.Grover Cleveland Lived a Simple Life Despite Being a Successful Lawyer

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Cleveland`s legal career began on a high note and he soon became a renowned lawyer. He was known for successfully defending some high-profile, but poor, clients for free.

He however had his financial breakthrough in 1868 when he defended the editor of the Commercial Advertiser against a libel suit. This was just the beginning of his success as it earned him more client and wealth.

Despite all his wealth he lived quite a simple life in a boarding house because most of his money went toward supporting his widowed mother and younger sisters. Read more about the Most Famous American Lawyers here.