Grover Cleveland’s education began in Fayetteville, New York at the Fayetteville Academy, a grammar school.  When his family moved to Clinton, he attended the Clinton Liberal Academy. Following his father’s death in 1853, Grover left school and worked to help support his family.  Later in the year, 1853, Grover’s brother William was hired as a teacher at the New York Institute for the Blind in New York City, and he obtained a place for Grover as an assistant teacher.  After teaching for one year, Grover returned home to Holland Patent at years end, 1854.  

Back at Holland Patent, Grover, now 17 years old, looked for work, but was not successful. An elder in the church there offered to help Grover by paying for his college education if he would promise to become a minister, but Grover declined.  Instead, he decided to move west to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.  First; however, he stopped in Buffalo, where his uncle lived.  His uncle, Lewis W. Allen, dissuaded him from continuing west, by offering him a job arranging his herd books. A Herd book is a book containing the list of pedigrees of one or more herds of choice breeds of cattle, also referred to as a herd record or herd register.  

Grover’s uncle Lewis was an important man in Buffalo and he introduced Grover to many influential men there, including partners in the law firm of Rogers, Bowen, and Rogers. It was here that Grover took a clerkship job and was admitted to the bar in 1859. Once a lawyer, Cleveland worked with this firm for three years, leaving in 1862 to start his own practice.  In January 1863, he accepted an appointment as an assistant district attorney for Erie County.  With the Civil War rampant, Congress passed the Conscription Act of 1863 (draft) that required able-bodied men to serve in the army if called upon, or else hire a replacement.  Cleveland choose the latter and paid George Benninsky $150 to serve in his place.  

As an attorney, Cleveland became known for his tireless hard work, He also assisted others by defending people free of charge. During this time, Cleveland lived a simple life in a boarding house, although by this time he could afford more lavish housing.  He continued to support his mother and sisters, while at the same time, enjoyed an active social life, frequenting hotel lobbies and saloons.  

By the 1870s, the city of Buffalo had become very corrupt, with both Democrats and Republicans equally responsible. In 1881, the Republicans nominated a slate of many disreputable politicians, giving rise to the Democrats for the opportunity to put their own man in, by gaining votes for a person who was a more honest candidate.  The party leaders approached Cleveland and he agreed to run for mayor, provided he liked the remainder of the ticket.  When the more “notorious” politicians were left off the ticket, Cleveland accepted the nomination. Cleveland won by about 4,000 votes and took office on January 2, 1882.  In his tenure as mayor, Cleveland became known for having an honest reputation, and this spread beyond just Erie County. 

As this honest reputation grew, the state Democrats considered Cleveland for the office of governor. Throughout many possible candidate and back and forth decisions, Cleveland became the nominee and won the election, defeating the Republican nominee Charles J. Folger,  535,318 to 342,464.

The upcoming election of 1884 the Democrats saw as their opportunity to take back the White House from the Republicans, which was in their party since 1856.  There were several front-runners including Cleveland, but most others had some issues.  Finally on the second ballot, Cleveland won the nomination.  In the election, the popular vote was close, with Cleveland winning the electoral majority 219 – 182. 

One of the first duties of President is the task of filling all the government jobs over which he has the power of appointment. Normally the jobs were filled under the spoils system, but Cleveland decided that he would not fire any Republican who was doing his job well, or would he appoint anyone simply because he was a Democrat.  In doing his appointments, Cleveland also reduced the number of federal employees as many departments had become overstaffed with political time-servers.  Over his term, Cleveland did; however, replace some partisan Republicans with Democrats. While some of these decisions were influences by party concerns, most of his appointments were decided on merit alone.  

One of the more volatile issues facing Cleveland and the country in the 1880s was whether currency should be backed by gold and silver or gold alone.   The issue cut across party lines with western Republicans and southern Democrats joining together in the call for free coinage of silver, and both parties holding firm for the gold standard. Because silver was worth less than its equivalent in gold, taxpayers paid their government bills in silver, while international creditors demanded payment in gold, resulting in the depletion of the country’s gold supply. 

President Cleveland and his Treasury Secretary, Daniel manning, stood firmly on the side of the gold standard, and tried to reduce the amount of silver that the government was required to coin under the Bland-Allison Act of 1878.  This angered the westerners and southerners, who wanted cheap money to help out their poorer constituents.  In reply, a silverite named Richard P. Bland introduced a bill in 1886 that would require the government to coin unlimited amounts of silver, inflating the then-deflating currency.  While this bill was defeated, so was a bill the administration favored that would repeal any silver coinage requirement.  The result was retention of the status quo, and postponed the resolution of the free silver issue.  

When Grover Cleveland became President of the United States, he did so as a bachelor, but did not stay this way for long. In 1885, the daughter of one of his friend’s, Oscar Folsom, visited him in Washington, D.C.  Frances Folsom was a student at Wells College, and upon her return to school, Grover obtained permission to correspond with her, and soon thereafter they became engaged.  

On June 2, 1886, Grover Cleveland married Frances in the Blue Room of the White House.  While he was the second President to marry while in office, he was the first, and continues to be the only President to be married in the White House.  This marriage was unusual because Cleveland was the executor of Oscar Folsom’s estate and had supervised Frances’ upbringing, but the public did not take exception to their wedding.   At only 21 years old, Frances was the youngest First Lady in American history, but within a short time, the public warmed to her beauty and personality.  The Cleveland’s would go on to have five children. They are: Ruth (1891-1904); Esther (1893-1980); Marion (1895-1977); Richard Folsom (1897-1974); and Francis Grover (1903-1995).  

As his first term came closer to its end, Cleveland did run again. However, as it did in 1884, the election came down to the swing states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Indiana. Unlike in 1884 when Cleveland won all four sates, he now won only two, losing his home state by nearly 15,000 votes.  Also the Republicans were victorious in Indiana, largely because of fraud. This victory where Cleveland lost by only 2,348 votes was enough to cost him the election.  In doing so, Benjamin Harrison was elected President of the United States. 

Upon leaving the White House, Frances is quoted as saying to a staff member, “Now, Jerry, I want you to take good care of al the furniture and ornaments in the house, for I want to find everything just as it is now, when we come back again. “ When asked when she would be returning, she said, “We are coming back four years from today.” 

Meanwhile, the Cleveland’s moved back to New York City where Grover took a position with a law firm. While here in New York, their first child, Ruth was born.   During Harrison’s term as President, his administration worked with Congress to pass the McKinley Tariff and the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, both of which Cleveland viewed as dangerous to the nation’s financial health. Initially Cleveland refrained from criticizing his successor, but by 1891-he felt compelled to speak out but addressing his concerns in an open letter to reformers in New York.  Known as the “silver letter,” this thrust Cleveland’s name back into the spotlight as the 1892 election was nearing. 

 With his recent out spoken letter on the monetary issues made Cleveland a major contender for the Democratic nomination for the presidency.  Although his leading opponent was David B. Hill, a senator from New York, Cleveland was nominated on the first ballot.   The Republicans of course re-nominated Benjamin Harrison making the 1892 election a rematch of the one four years earlier.   As the issues of the day such as tariff reform and the Tammany Hall Democrats adhered to a national ticket, this allowed united Democrats to carry New York, and in doing so, Cleveland was elected by a wide margin in both popular and electoral votes.   

In his second term as President, Cleveland repealed the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, putting the nation back on the gold standard. He also facilitated the resolution between Great Britain and Venezuela and between Spain and Cuba, and by doing so, averted conflict and protected American interests. He also deployed the US military during the Pullman Palace Car employment strike in 1894.  This maintains civil order and ensured continued rail transportation of goods and services that included the US Mail.  

Being quite forthright in his actions created enemies in both political parties and among the special interest people. Still, Cleveland was undaunted. He remained steadfast and resilient in his approach to life that would go on to define him as a man and a president. 

At the end of his presidency, Cleveland retired to Princeton, New Jersey.  Here he serves as a trustee of Princeton University from 1901 to 1908, and worked to reform the country’s insurance industry. 

Grover Cleveland’s health had been declining for several years and in the fall of 1907, he fell seriously ill.  On June 24, 1908 he suffered a heart attack and died.  He is buried in the Princeton Cemetery, and his wife, their daughter Ruth, and his wife’s parents are buried alongside him.