Grover Cleveland | Presidency, 2nd Presidency, Facts & Death

Grover Cleveland Summary

Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. He began his legal career in Buffalo, New York, in 1859 and joined politics there for the Democratic Establishment. He was recognized for fighting corruption while serving as governor of Buffalo (1881–1882). His independence as lieutenant governor (1883–1855) garnered him Tammany Hall’s animosity. He was elected as the chancellor in 1884 and advocated for public service restructuring while criticizing tariff barriers. Benjamin Harrison barely beat him in 1888, but a robust popular majority helped him win reelection in 1892.

He fervently encouraged Congress in 1893 to overturn the Sherman Acquisition Agreement of 1890, which he held responsible for the catastrophic economic crisis that had gripped the nation. The Pullman Rebellion occurred in 1894 as a result of the downturn persisting following the act’s rejection.

Cleveland, an imperialist, was against territorial growth. In the border conflict involving Britain with Venezuela around 1895, he used the Monroe Doctrine as justification. As soon as the Free Silver Campaign seized control of the Democratic Establishment in 1896, William Jennings Bryan was chosen as Cleveland’s replacement as the party’s presidential nominee. After retiring, he taught at Princeton College near New Jersey.

Explore the full list of Presidents in the United States to understand their legacy and impact.

Fast Facts

Born	March 18, 1837, in Caldwell, New Jersey
Death	June 24, 1908, in Princeton, New Jersey,
Spouse	Frances Cleveland, (m. 1886–1908)
Parents	Richard Falley Cleveland > Ann Neal Cleveland

Early and Professional Life of Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland has been the child of Ann Neal Cleveland and traveling Presbyterian clergyman Richard Falley Cleveland. Grover Cleveland was obliged to stop attending classes in an effort to assist his sisters and mother after his father passed away in 1853. He was licensed to the profession in 1859 after working as a legal clerk near Buffalo, Nyc, and quickly joined the Democratic Establishment. He was conscripted throughout the American Revolution but purchased a replacement to take care of his mother. This was completely legal, but it left him open to subsequent political attacks.

He was appointed assistant prosecutor’s office for Erie County, Nyc, in 1863 and was in the sheriff’s department from 1870 to 1873. With this limited political experience and only moderate legal accomplishment, the unassuming Buffalo lawyer began a series of the fastest ascents in American History.

Cleveland was chosen for governor of Buffalo among Buffalo Republicans throughout 1881, 8 years after resigning as sheriff, because they admired his integrity and effectiveness in that role. He handily won the race.

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He earned the nickname “veto mayor” during his tenure as Buffalo’s governor for his refusal to approve expenditure plans that he believed to be excessive and unethical. Cleveland won his party’s presidential governorship in 1882 without the help of the Tammany Square System of democracy in Nyc, and he proceeded on to trounce his Republican rival by more than nearly 200,000 votes.

Cleveland utilized the veto repeatedly while serving as mayor of New York City, even to reject laws with strong public support. He quickly gained a national profile thanks to his commitment to principles and unwavering resistance to Tammany Hall, especially among Americans who were outraged by the regular controversies of the Gilded Age government.

The Democrats wanted a contender for president throughout 1884 who would stand in stark opposition to the Republican contender, James Blaine, a lifelong insider within Washington whose notoriety for duplicity and economic irregularities led the Democratic Mugwump group to leave their party. Cleveland had a different reputation than Blaine, and he appeared to have a good chance of luring Mugwump voters to the Democratic candidate. Cleveland thus quickly earned the Democratic candidacy.

When Republicans claimed that the Liberal contender had sired a child from a previous relationship around ten years previously, Cleveland’s reputation as the pure option to the purportedly tainted Blaine took a significant hit during the election. Cleveland was unfazed and told Democratic politicians to “speak the truth” while Republicans joyfully chanted, “Ma, ma, but where is my pa?” The reality, Cleveland said, was that he was having a relationship with Maria Halpin, the kid’s mom, and had promised to help the child financially when she identified himself as the dad, even though he was unsure the baby was actually his.

Democrats were simultaneously chanting, “James Blaine, Blaine Blaine, the transatlantic phony from the province of Maine,” in an effort to compare Cleveland’s standing with that of Blaine. When a booster at a speech in Nyc disparaged the Liberals as the movement of “rum, Romanism, and insurrection” late during the campaign, Blaine suffered his humiliation. Blaine had intended to win over several of the town’s Irish Catholics. Despite being present when they said the tragic words, Blaine did nothing to distance himself from the statement. The democratic votes for NY State, where Blaine fell short of Cleveland by less than 1,200 votes, decided the presidential election.

Grover Cleveland 1884 Election

Election to the Presidency

Many Republicans were offended by Blaine’s selection because they saw him as arrogant and unethical. By undermining the Conkling and Mugwumps factions, the Democratic standard-bearer was made weaker. Since he had been the presumptive candidate in the hotly disputed election of 1876, Samuel J. Tilden would have been the early front-runner. Thomas F. Bayard was unpopular with Northerners because he had advocated for independence in 1861. Due to his activities throughout the American Revolution, Benjamin Butler was despised across the South.

Grover Cleveland’s Initial Presidency (1885–1889)

Restructure

In 1887, Grover Cleveland officially established the Interstate Commercial Commission. In order to modernize the fleet, he and Minister of the War William C. Whitney terminated building agreements that had produced subpar ships. Cleveland enraged railroad shareholders by directing an inquiry into the western lands the nation had granted those investors. The confiscated lands were returned, totaling over 81,000,000 acres (330,000 km2).

The Tenure of Service Act was repealed in 1887 due to Grover Cleveland’s failure to comply. According to the law, any presidential appointment initially entitled to the Senate’s advice and consent cannot be fired without the Senate’s permission. Due to Cleveland’s principled opposition to the statute and his unwavering reluctance to comply with it, it fell from favor.

Silver

The question of whether money must be supported by silver and gold or just by gold was among the most contentious topics of the late nineteenth century. Conservatives in the Western and Liberals in the South joined together to demand the unrestricted coinage of silver on this topic, which cut over political lines. In the northeastern, the politicians of both parties steadfastly supported the national standard.

In order to maintain the US on the reference standard, General Grover Cleveland’s cabinet cut the level of silver that the legislature was obligated to mint. Angry Southerners and Westerners pushed for cheap currency to aid their less fortunate citizens. Richard P. Bland, a prominent Silverite, proposed a law in 1886 that would have required the government to mint an infinite quantity of silver, boosting the economy at the time of the decline.

Tariffs

He was a well-known supporter of the guarantee and insurance products, which had existed since the American Revolution. In the House and Senate in 1886, a proposal to lower the tariff was lost. In 1887, he addressed Congress and emphasized the unfairness of taxing the populace more than was necessary.

The tariff controversy lingered throughout the 1888 presidential campaign. The reconciliation bill killed the measure when the Senate Majority and the Socialist House could not reach a deal.

Grover Cleveland 1885 to 1889: International Policy

In speaking, Cleveland has been less imperialistic in international affairs and declined to support the Nicaragua Canal Agreement of the previous government. He also left the Senate’s discussion of the Berlin Convention pact, which promised to maintain open access for American interests inside the Congo.

Military Strategy, 1885 to 1889

Cleveland’s military strategy put a strong emphasis on modernization and self-defense. In 1886, the Council of Fortifications proposed a sizable construction plan of $127 million to be carried out at 29 ports and river estuaries. It put the majority of the Board’s suggestions into practice, and by 1910, more than 70 castles were defending 27 different places. Several guns were still in use after World War II when new fortifications took place.

Immigration and Human Liberties

Cleveland resisted using federal authority to compel African Americans to exercise their right to vote. Frederick Douglass was permitted to keep his position in Washington, DC, but no black Americans were assigned to patronage positions. Cleveland urged Parliament to approve the Scott Amendment, which forbade Chinese immigrants who had left the country from returning.

Indigenous Peoples’ Policies

Cleveland desired the absorption of Native Americans into white civilization because he saw them as dependents of the nation. He advocated for the Dawes Agreement, which transferred Indian properties to specific tribal members instead of keeping them in the custody of the national government. 

The measure made it easier for single Indians to sell property and pocket the proceeds while weakening tribal administrations. By presidential decree, President Arthur permitted European colonization on 4 million acres of Winnebago but also Crow Creek Indian homeland in the Dakotas in 1885. Cleveland revoked Arthur’s ruling because he thought it went against the tribes’ treaties.

1888 Election Results and Continued Private Life

Republicans used the tariff debate as a critical election issue to mobilize conservative supporters in the northern economy. Grover Cleveland lost votes in New York due to a scandal started by a telegram from the British embassy endorsing him.

Harrison defeated Cleveland in his native New York state with 14,373 votes, but Harrison easily won the Electoral Council election. Frames of Five votings, a kind of illegal voting, was a significant factor in the Republicans’ victory in Indiana. Grover Cleveland meticulously completed his tasks till the conclusion of the semester and started looking forward to going back to his personal life.

In 1889, as Governor William H. Harrison was getting ready for his second administration, Frances Cleveland departed the White House. She instructed the employees to take thorough treatment of all the furnishings and decorations in the home because she wanted everything to be exactly as it was when we returned. She replied, “We are returning four years from now,” when questioned when she would be back. Cleveland accepted a job at a nearby law firm after the Clevelands relocated to Nyc.

Voting in 1892

Although David B. Hill managed to bring together the anti-Cleveland Democratic establishment factions, he failed to build a strong enough coalition to block Cleveland’s candidacy. Cleveland was chosen as the party’s nominee in Chicago on the initial ballot, notwithstanding Hill’s frantic lobbying. Adlai Stevenson provided a counterbalance to Cleveland’s generally hard-money, gold-standard platform by supporting free silver and dollars to expand the economy.

The 1892 presidential race in America was a replay of the one that had taken place four years before. Two weeks prior to the vote, Party leader William H. Harrison’s spouse, Caroline, passed away. As a result, no other contenders continued their campaigns. Election Day was a solemn and silent occasion for the contenders and the nation.

By 1892, a large majority of people supported tariff liberalization and had doubts about big enterprises. James Weaver, the nominee of the fledgling Nationalist Party, won over a large number of Westerners. Because Tammany Hall Democrats stuck to the national platform, the Democratic Establishment as a whole could win New York. Following Carnegie’s effort to destroy the organization, many Demagogues and labor sympathizers favored Cleveland just at the end of the campaign.

Grover Cleveland’s Second Presidency (1893–1897)

Panic in the Economy and the Silver Crisis

Grover Cleveland requested a special legislative session to address the gold scarcity brought on by the rising use of metal as currency. After the Share Price Panic of 1893, he experienced a severe economic downturn. At a slower rate, the government’s gold holdings continued to be depleted, and successive bond offerings restored gold sources. The repeal, which to silver enthusiasts at the time seemed like a minor setback, signaled the start of the end for silver as the base metal for American money.

Reforming Tariffs

Congressman William Wilson of West Virginia sponsored the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Amendment in December 1893. It suggested modest reductions in tariffs, particularly for raw resources. Next, it discussed the legislation with the Senators, where it encountered more vociferous resistance from influential Democrats under the leadership of Arthur Pue Gorman. The final law infuriated Cleveland, who blasted it as the shameful result of corporate and banking interests’ dominance of the Senate.

Electoral Rights

Cleveland had fought the Lodge Amendment, which could have enhanced safeguards for the right to vote, in 1892. The federal government would carefully supervise elections under the Accountability Act of 1871. Cleveland was successful in getting this statute repealed in 1894. The federal judges were thus asked to defend voting rights, but these efforts were unsuccessful.

Workplace Unrest

To oppose Presidential Grover Cleveland’s actions, a band of the working-class headed by Jacob S. Coxey started a walk in 1894 that headed east towards Washington, DC. This organization lobbied for national road projects to provide jobs for working people and depreciated currencies to aid farmers in repaying their loans. There were just a few thousand left by the moment they got to Washington, and after they were detained the following day for strolling on the grounds of the US Senate, the group dispersed.

Strike at Pullman

Chicago and Twenty other rail hubs received federal forces from President Grover Cleveland, who dispatched them there to put an end to the strike. The deployment of troops exacerbated organized labor’s animosity toward his government. Except for Illinois Republican John P. Altgeld, who turned out to be his adamant opponent in 1896, most governors backed Cleveland.

In numerous states, Grover Cleveland’s political adversaries took over the Republican Party and made significant advances in Ohio, Indianapolis, Iowa, and other counties. At the 1896 party’s conference, the Political opposition came very near to obtaining the two-thirds majority they needed to choose their nominee. As Illinois representative John Peter Altgeld was raised in Germany and unable to be considered for president, their failure was due to a lack of cohesion and a strong political figure.

1893–1997: Foreign Affairs

The government of President William H. Harrison adopted an agreement that granted the Americans a coaling and military post in Pearl Harbour and backed free commerce with Hawai’i. Cleveland had to deal with the acquisition of Hawaii during his time in office. Five days after assuming office, he sent veteran representative James Henderson Blount would study the situation there and removed an accession agreement from the Senators.

At first, Liliuokalani resisted granting amnesty as a prerequisite for her restoration, stating that she’d either slaughter or expel the Honolulu administration. Cleveland abandoned all plans to restore the monarchy and instead recognized the fledgling State of Hawaii and maintained diplomatic ties with it.

A tribunal met in Paris in early 1898 to determine the issue, and in 1899 it gave Britain the majority of the stolen territory. Grover Cleveland pushed for the highest correlation with History’s southern allies while enhancing relationships with Great Britain by speaking up for Venezuela.

1893–1997: Military Policies

The subsequent Grover Cleveland government ordered the first vessels of a navy competent in aggressive action, which had the same commitment to capacity building as the first. The Endicott project of coastal defenses, which started during Cleveland’s first government, continued to be built. The US Army finally adopted the Krag-Jorgensen weapon, the first revolving bolt-action rifle. 

After recently adopting the strong maritime strategy promoted by Commander Alfred Thayer Mahan, Director of the Naval, Hilary A. Herbert effectively suggested buying five warships and sixteen torpedo launchers in 1895–1896. The construction of such ships virtually increased the number of battleships in the Navy and added additional torpedo boats to an existing fleet of two. Just after the Spanish-American war, it did not finish the warships and seven torpedo launchers before 1899–1901.

Cancer Diagnosis

Grover Cleveland requested the counsel of Doctor O’Reilly, the White House physician, concerning a discomfort on the top of the mouth and even a crater-like border ulceration with a powdered texture on the left part of Cleveland’s demanding palate inside the middle of the battle to abolish free-silver currency in 1893. The doctor transported clinical specimens incognito to the Military Medical Center; epithelioma, not malignant malignancy, was found.

While on holiday in 1916, Grover Cleveland underwent a procedure to remove a portion of his top left jawline and soft palate. E. C. Benedict, a colleague of Cleveland’s, acquired the boat Oneida, which they used for surgical procedures while it cruised off Long Island. Gorver Cleveland’s mouth was damaged as a result of the operation’s scope and the tumor’s volume. Two harmful teeth were extracted as a cover narrative to appease the skeptical press.

After the doctor extracted the tumor, Grover Cleveland lived a long time, and there was considerable discussion as to whether it was indeed cancerous. When Cleveland passed away, a number of medical professionals, notably Dr. Keen, claimed that the growth was cancer. A benign combined saliva tumor or ameloblastoma was among other diagnoses. The tumor was identified as verrucous cancer. This cancer is a low-grade epithelium malignancy with a low risk of spreading behind a study of the tissue in the 1980s.

Campaign of 1896 and Retiring (1897–1908)

In 1896, Grover Cleveland’s agricultural and Silverite opponents took over the Democratic Establishment, denounced his rule and the golden system, and put William Jennings Bryan forward as their candidate. Cleveland denied the Gold Republicans’ candidacy for a majority government. However, he did endorse their third-party platform, which pledged to protect the national standard, restrict bureaucracy, and fight high tariffs. 

In the primary election, the party received barely 100,000 ballots, while William McKinley, the Democratic contender, comfortably defeated Bryan. Agrarians again put forward Bryan in 1900. With Cleveland’s assistance, the liberals returned to the power of the Democratic Establishment in 1904 and chose Alton B. Parker as their candidate.

Grover Cleveland retired to his property, Westland Mansion, near Princeton, New Jersey, after departing the White House in 1897. He couldn’t undertake the commission’s president overseeing the 1902 coal dispute due to budgetary constraints. He commented on the drive for women’s liberation in 1905, stating that “intelligent and conscientious ladies do not desire to vote.”

A coalition of New Jersey Republicans pushed Cleveland as a potential republican senator in 1906. Many Democrats believed that since the governor, John F. Dryden, really wasn’t running for reelection, the past president may win over some disgruntled Republican lawmakers who might be attracted to Cleveland’s international diplomacy and liberalism.

Death of Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland’s condition had been deteriorating for a while when he developed a terrible illness in the fall of 1907. He had a heart attack in 1908 and passed away at age 71 inside his Princeton home on June 24. I have spent so much effort to do right, he said in his final moments. He is interred at the Nassau Methodist Church’s Princeton Graveyard.

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