- NAME – Stephen Grover Cleveland
Library of Congress - NICKNAME(S) – Uncle Jumbo / the Beast of Buffalo / Veto President
- BIRTH / DEATH – March 18, 1837 Caldwell, New Jersey / Princeton, New Jersey (heart attack)
- FATHER – minister
- MOTHER – housewife
- COLLEGE – none
- WIFE – Frances Folsom
- KIDS – 5 (4 girls)
- PETS – Poodle (Hector); canaries, mockingbirds, dachsunds
- RELIGION – Presbyterian
- ANCESTRY – English – Irish
- AGE – 47 / 55
FIRSTS:
– first (and only) to be married in the White House
– first to have a child born in the White House
MA AND PA: His father was descended from deacons and clergy. He had studied theology and graduated from Yale with honors. He became a pastor, but his income was not enough to provide well for his wife and nine kids. His mother came from rich family and had to adjust to poverty. She started the marriage with the trappings of her upbringing, but the looks from her congregation caused her to send her fancy gowns and jewelry back home and discharge her maid. Steven Grover Cleveland was named after another pastor. Grover dropped his first name in boyhood. His father died after giving his first sermon at his new church in New York. He was only 49 and Grover was 16. Grover took over as the man of the family and provided for his mother and sisters for the rest of his life. His mother died before he became President. Parents
BACKGROUND:
– born in New Jersey, but grew up in New York
– 5th of 9 kids
– his father died as a teenager and had to quit school to help his family (taught at a school for the blind)
– only four years of formal education; learned to read and write at home
– became a clerk for a lawyer
– was sheriff of Erie County, New York
– Mayor of Buffalo
– Governor of New York
– between terms he returned to law
– he was politically active as a member of the Anti-Imperialism League
– last words: “I have tried so hard to do right”
FIRST LADY: “Uncle Cleve” bought Francis Folsom, daughter of his partner, her first baby buggy. When her father died when she was 12, Cleveland became her guardian. There was nothing scandalous about the relationship, but when Francis got old enough, Grover proposed to her and she accepted. She was still in college. He was 49 and she was 21. When the announcement appeared in the newspapers, most people thought Cleveland was marrying Francis’ mother. The marriage was a success and Frank (as Grover called her) gave birth to little Ruth who became a national obsession. Back in those days, the public had access to the White House grounds and people would come in and pass the baby around. After this, the gates were closed. Their second child, Esther, was born in the White House. She is still the only baby born there. Ike Hoover, who worked in the White House for 42 years, said that the Cleveland girls were the most adored and best-behaved Presidential children during his time. Cleveland had his last child at age 67. Sadler 203-208
Library of Congress
TRIVIA:
– he was called the “Veto President” because he vetoed more than twice as many bills as all previous Presidents
– during the Civil War, he paid a substitute $150 to take his place in the draft (Cleveland claimed he was the sole supporter of his family – two of his brothers went off to war and Grover had to take care of his mom and sister)
– when he was President, he had a cancerous growth in his mouth removed in a secret operation on board the Presidential yacht (this incident was not known to historians until 1917)
– he would personally answer the White House phone
– he called his wife “Death and Destruction”
– when he was inaugurated, it was only the second time he had been to Washington
– during his second term, he was called “His Obstinacy” because he stuck to his principles
– he was called “ugly-honest” for his in your face honesty
– his wife Francis was the youngest First Lady at age 22 (she lived until 1947)
– during his time as Sheriff of Erie County, he had to take over when the usual executioner was unavailable for a hanging. Cleveland tightened the nooses on two condemned criminals and triggered the trap door. He earned the nickname “the Hangman of Buffalo” Weird 101
ANECDOTES:
Secret Operation – When President Cleveland developed a rough spot on the roof of his mouth, his doctor diagnosed it as throat cancer. On June 30, 1893, he made a trip to a yacht on the East River in New York City. In a super secret operation, the upper part of his jaw was removed. He recovered quickly, but he could not speak normally for a few weeks. However, an artificial jaw made of vulcanized rubber made sure his appearance was unchanged. The operation was kept from the public, but the Philadelphia Ledger ran a detailed story (probably based on one of the doctors violating his no-talk agreement). However, the doctors denied the story and Cleveland looked normal, so everyone assumed the Ledger was lying. It was not until twenty-five years later, nine years after Cleveland’s death, that the doctors told the true story. Shenkman 166-7
“Ma, Ma Where’s My Pa?” – The most famous story of Cleveland is the one about his fathering a child while a bachelor. In the official version, Maria Halpin was a loose woman who got pregnant and claimed Cleveland was the father. It could have been Grover, or any number of other men who she had slept with. Since Grover was the only bachelor in the suspects, he did the honorable thing and admitted he was the father and paid child support. When he ran for President, the Republicans tried to damage him by reviving the story and singing “Ma, Ma, where’s my pa? Going to the White House, ha, ha, ha!” Most of the public was forgiving and Cleveland won despite the scandal. Here’s the unofficial version. Cleveland had been wooing Maria, who was a respectful woman in Buffalo, when one night she invited him home and he forced himself on her. When she learned she was pregnant a few weeks later, she signed an affidavit claiming Cleveland was the father and that he had raped her. She said he had threatened to ruin her if she talked. When the story got out, Cleveland used his powers as sheriff to have the baby placed in an orphanage and Maria committed to an insane asylum. She was quickly released for the institute after an evaluation proved she was not insane. Her reputation was ruined, however. “Grover Cleveland, a Rapist President” vice.com
THE FIRST WHITE HOUSE WEDDING
“Uncle Cleve” bought Francis Folsom, daughter of his partner, her first baby buggy. He was 27 years old at the time. He doted on the child. When her father died when she was 12, Cleveland became her guardian. There was nothing scandalous about the relationship, but when Francis got old enough, Grover proposed to her and she accepted. She was still in college. He was 49 and she was 21. When the announcement appeared in the newspapers, most people thought Cleveland was marrying Francis’ mother. In fact, even Emma Folsom had expected the proposal to be aimed at her. The wedding occurred in the Blue Room on June 2, 1886. It was the first wedding in the White House. The marriage was a success and Frank (as Grover called her – it was her birth name) gave birth to little Ruth in 1891. The cute little baby became a national obsession. Back in those days, the public had access to the White House grounds and people would come in and pass the baby around. After this, the gates were closed. Their second child, Esther, was born in the White House. She is still the only baby born there. Ike Hoover, who worked in the White House for 42 years, said that the Cleveland girls were the most adored and best-behaved Presidential children during his time. Cleveland had his last child at age 67. Sadler 203-208
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/grover-cleveland-gets-married-in-the-white-house