Grover+Cleveland+(Presidency)

__Stephen Grover Cleveland the Man__  The fifth of nine children to a Presbyterian minister, Cleveland lived mostly in New York, though he was born in New Jersey. His father died when he was sixteen years old and as a result the hardworking young man did not have the opprotunity to go to college. On his way westward, however, he stopped to visit his wealthy, cattle-breeding uncle in Buffalo, New York who convinced him to stay. Cleveland worked and studied (unofficially) in Buffalo until in he was eventually admitted to the New York Bar Association. Cleveland was drafted to be a military man during the Civil War, but borrowed money to pay someone else to volunteer for him, a legal practice at the time. He would be pounded for this later. On May 25, 1886 Cleveland announced that he intended on marrying his ward, Frances Folsom, the daughter of his late law partner, Oscar Folsom. They were the only presidential couple to be married in the White House (June 2, 1886) and had five children in all. His wife outlived him by alot, close to After retiring from presidential life, Cleveland and his family moved to a humble abode in Princeton, New Jersey.

__Stephen Grover Cleveland the Honest Politician__

Cleveland truly began his political career as the Assistant District Attorney of Eerie County in 1863. He was also a sherrif for some time, but he gained recognition not for any exceptional talent, but because of hard work and diligence. He also stood out against other candidates because he had a very straight moral compass and rejected multiple bribes from railroads and fought for less corruption at all of his posts.

<< The bottom says: PREPARE TO DELIVER. Tammany -- "Now, Grover, how about those promises?" << This is actually really amusing because Cleveland never made any promises to the politcal machine. Due to his integrity, he always turned them down and usually refused to speak with them, only his campaign manager wanted their endorsement.

__Stephen Grover Cleveland the Vetoing President__

Grover Cleveland was nominated president by the Democratic party, but was endorsed by both the Democrats and the Mugwump Republicans who opposed James G. Blaine of Maine. He was the first Democratic president since James Buchanan, but was the 22nd president (as well as the 24th president). As president, Cleveland was prone to using his veto power, from the military pension bills to the Texas Seed bill that wanted to help farmers out west experiencing a drought. Cleveland also had the Tenure of Office Act repealed, which was instituted by a controlling Congress during the presidency of Andrew Johnson, giving Cleveland the ability to fire whoever he liked without getting approval from Congress. Amazingly, Cleveland did approve of some things, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Dawes Severalty Act, both racist, both popular. Though the Dawes Severalty Act, lessened the strength of Indian tribes, did not makes American more accepting toward them. Cleveland also urged Congress to accept France's gift in the form of the Statue of Liberty. During his first term, the Interstate Commerce Commision was also established, though he had reservations about it. He also created the Department of Agriculture and made the territories of North and South Dakota, Montana, and Washington into states. During his second term, Cleveland was predominantly preoccupied with the economic collapse, though he focused more on the money system than pumping money back into the economy. He had the Sherman Silver Purchase Act repealed, which caused a split in the Democratic party.

__Resources__ [|White House Page on Grover Cleveland] [|Grover Cleveland Info] [|UVa Info page on Cleveland] [|More Infor on Grover] [|HarpWeek Political Cartoons] //__American History by Alan Brinkley, 12th Edition__//