GROVER CLEVELAND
Stephen Grover Cleveland was born March 18,1837, at the
Presbyterian manse in Caldwell, New Jersey. His father was The reverend Richard
Falley Cleveland (1804-1853) and his mother was Ann Neal Cleveland (1806-1882).
Cleveland was the fifth of nine children, He had five
sisters and three brothers-Mrs. Anna N. Hastings, the reverend William N.
Cleveland, Mrs. Mary A. Hoyt, Richard Cecil Cleveland, Mrs. Margaret L. Bacon,
Lewis Frederick Cleveland and Rose
E. Cleveland.
President Cleveland Married Frances Folsom when he was 49
and she was 21 years of age. He was the only president to be married in the
white house itself (Tyler had married while president but in New York).
Cleveland had three daughters and two sons- Ruth Cleveland (1891-1904), Esther
Cleveland (1893-1980), Marion Cleveland (1895-1977), Richard Folson Cleveland
(1897-1974) and Francis Grover Cleveland (1903-1995).
Cleveland had no military service. He was drafted during
the Civil War but chose to purchase a substitute. Having learned the basics at
home, Cleveland entered the Fayetteville, New York academy at age 11. He
attended the Liberal Institute (New York) from 1850-1851 and than returned to
the Fayetteville academy. He moved with his uncle to Buffalo NY and started
working for him at the American Shorthorn Handbook as an editor. He started to
study law at the Buffalo Office of Rogers, Bowen, and Rogers. Cleveland was
admitted to the bar in 1859.
He started to practice law with the Buffalo Firm of Rogers,
Bowen, and Rogers where he associated with the Democratic party. He served in
different positions before the presidency-Sheriff of Erie County, New York
(1871-1873), Mayor of Buffalo, New York (1882), Governor of New York
(1883-1885).
In July 1884, Cleveland was nominated for the presidency by
the Democratic Party which Convened in Chicago. His opponent was the Republican
James G. Blaine. Cleveland won the presidency having as his vice president
Thomas Andrews Hendricks (1819-1885) who served from March to November 1885 and
died while vice president of a stroke.
Cleveland was the only president to serve two non
consecutive terms as president (22nd and 24th president).
His vice president during the second term was Adlai Edwin Stevenson (1835-1914)
who served 1893-1897.
During his last years, Cleveland had suffered from rheumatism and acute attacks of indigestion. In April of 1908 he had experienced severe chest pain. His health steadily declined. Grover Cleveland died in June 24, 1908 of heart failure.
Inaugural speech, 2nd Inaugural Speech
Useful links: citizenship Test, The constitution, US President, Bill of Rights