Born: 1837, Caldwell, NJ
Died: 1908

A prominent lawyer in Buffalo, New York, Grover Cleveland was elected Mayor of that city in 1881. He earned a reputation for honesty and fairness, and went on to become state Governor. Cleveland’s opposition to political corruption, at a time when the Republicans were still strongly associated with the spoils system, helped to win him the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1884. He was elected despite revelations that the unmarried Cleveland was supporting an illegitimate son.

Soon after his inauguration, Cleveland became the first President to wed in the White House. In his first term, he signed the Interstate Commerce Act, improved the civil service, denied fraudulent pension claims, set aside illegal land grants to the railroads, and tried to lower the national tariff. The tariff issue dominated the 1888 Presidential campaign and while Cleveland won the popular vote, Benjamin Harrison received the electoral victory.

Cleveland returned to the White House in 1892, after defeating Harrison in a rematch. Faced with a nationwide depression, Cleveland focused on monetary policy rather than on direct assistance to the needy. This plus the hard line he took against striking rail workers, caused his party to back Williams Jennings Bryan in 1896.

Twenty-Second & Twenty-Fourth President
Democrat