Early life and education

Stephan Grover Cleveland was born in Caldwell, New Jersey, on March 18, 1837. He was the son of Richard Falley Cleveland, a Presbyterian minister, and Ann Neal. Grover was the fifth of the couple's nine children.

When Grover was 4, the Cleveland family moved to Fayetteville in central New York. This was the first home he remembered. The family moved again, when Grover was 14, to nearby Clinton, seat of Hamilton College. There he attended a preparatory school during the winter of 1850–51. For the next two years he worked in a general store in Fayetteville to save money for further schooling. The death of his father in 1853, however, forced him to abandon school to support his mother and sisters.

Early career

Grover's job search soon brought him to Buffalo, New York. An uncle who lived there found him an opening at a law firm. Grover worked as a clerk while studying law in the firm's library. In 1859 he passed the examination to become a lawyer.

Cleveland did not take part in the American Civil War (1861–65). Instead he remained in the law office so he could continue to support his family. He sent a substitute in his place, which was allowed by law. When he was president, however, this decision was used against him by his political opponents.

From state politics to the presidency

Cleveland became an active member of the Democratic Party. In 1863 he was made the assistant district attorney for Erie County, New York. From 1870 to 1873 he served as county sheriff. In 1881 he was elected mayor of Buffalo. He attacked corruption and dishonesty in city government and was soon well known across the state. A year later he was elected governor of New York.

In 1884 the Democrats nominated Cleveland for the presidency. He was chosen largely because of his reputation for honesty. Cleveland contrasted sharply with his Republican opponent, James G. Blaine, who was associated with political scandals and corruption. Cleveland won a close election. He received 219 electoral votes to Blaine's 182.

First term and defeat

President Cleveland took a firm stand against corruption and wastefulness. He insisted that government employees be hired on the basis of ability rather than their political loyalties. He also rejected hundreds of dishonest claims for pensions made by Civil War veterans. This lost him many supporters both in and out of Congress. In 1887 he signed the Interstate Commerce Act, which established the Interstate Commerce Commission. This independent agency was responsible for overseeing the railroad industry.

In 1886 Cleveland married Frances Folsom, the 21-year-old daughter of his former law partner. A popular first lady, she had considerable influence on fashion of the time. The couple had five children.

Cleveland was a candidate for reelection in 1888. His Republican opponent was Benjamin Harrison. Cleveland received about 90,000 more popular votes than Harrison but lost the electoral vote by a margin of 233 to 168.

Reelection and second term

Cleveland spent the next four years practicing law in New York City. In 1892 the Democrats again nominated him for the presidency. This time he soundly defeated Harrison by 277 electoral votes to 145. Cleveland's victory made him the only president ever to be reelected after a defeat.

During his second administration Cleveland faced economic and labor problems. Just two months after he returned to office, the United States sank into the worst economic depression the country had yet experienced. Many banks and businesses failed and unemployment became serious.

Meanwhile, workers angered by wage cuts conducted strikes in mines, on railroads, and in textile mills. In 1894, on the outskirts of Chicago, a strike against the Pullman Company's railroad car facility turned violent. Cleveland decided to send in federal troops against the advice of the governor of Illinois. The troops broke the strike, but the president lost any support he still had among workers.

Cleveland was generally opposed to U.S. interference in foreign affairs. In 1893 he withdrew from the Senate a treaty calling for the annexation of Hawaii. In 1895, when a group of Cubans revolted against Spanish rule, he refused to intervene. He did, however, force Great Britain to accept arbitration of a boundary dispute between its colony of British Guiana (now Guyana) and neighboring Venezuela.

Retirement

In 1896 the Democrats nominated William Jennings Bryan for president instead of Cleveland. The next year Cleveland retired to Princeton, New Jersey. He became involved with Princeton University as a lecturer and trustee. Cleveland died in Princeton on June 24, 1908. A national monument was constructed in his honor at Princeton University.