Interesting Facts and Accomplishments of Grover Cleveland

Stephen Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President of the United States, was born in 1837, in Caldwell, New Jersey. He was the fifth child among the nine children of Richard Falley Cleveland and Ann Neal Cleveland. He was named so, after Stephen Grover who was a minister in the same church that his father worked as a pastor. Let's take a look at some of the interesting facts and accomplishments of this great person.

Interesting Facts and Accomplishments of Grover Cleveland

In 1842, the Cleveland family shifted to Fayetteville, New York. Grover Cleveland completed his early schooling in a local school. At the age of 13, he got admission in the nearby Clinton Liberal Institute. His father died suddenly, when he was 16 (in 1853). With this tragedy, Grover Cleveland lost all hope of further education.

For the next two years, Grover Cleveland served as a teacher at the New York Institute for the Blind. In 1855, he resigned from this position, as he wanted to pursue a career in law. In the meantime, his uncle from Buffalo, New York, insisted him to stay in the same town. Following his uncle's advice, he worked there and side-by-side, he studied law along with his uncle's friends.

In 1859, as Grover Cleveland completed his law degree, he got a job offer from the Rogers law firm. He worked there for three years; in 1862, he left the firm with an aim to start his own practice. In the following year, Cleveland became assistant district attorney of Erie County.

As the American civil war broke out, Cleveland was drafted to serve in the army. In those times, hiring a substitute was allowed, as per the Conscription Act of 1863. He hired a substitute to serve in place of him and this way, he continued his job with hard work and dedication.

In 1865, Grover Cleveland stood for the Democratic party in the district attorney election. He lost the post and with this, he stayed out of politics for a few years. By 1868, Grover Cleveland was recognized as a successful lawyer; especially, after he filed a case against the editor of a newspaper in Buffalo. Even though, he earned a hefty income, he preferred to stay a simple life in a boarding house.

In 1871, Grover Cleveland was elected as the Sheriff of Erie country (two year term). He performed the responsibility of a sheriff by executing criminals by himself. As his sheriff term ended in 1873, he again began practicing law. This time, he along with his two friends started a private law firm. By this time, he became a popular face in the legal community, Buffalo.

Grover Cleveland political career became remarkable when he was elected the Mayor of Buffalo in 1882. He served for the interest of the people and was best known for safeguarding public funds. With his growing popularity, the state Democratic party considered Grover Cleveland for the governor election. As assumed, he won the election and became the Governor of New York in 1882. He passed several vetoes and continued to fight against bribery, graft and corruption.

In 1884, James G. Blain, who was considered immoral, was nominated by the Republicans for the Presidential Election. Many of the Republicans opposed the decision of nominating Blain. Seeing this opportunity, the Democrats nominated Grover Cleveland as their candidate, assuming that this is the ideal time to take back the White House.

Grover Cleveland won the Presidential Election of 1884 and took charge of the office in 1885. During his first term, he appointed candidates based on their merit and not on party basis. He also reduced the number of federal employees, so as to reduce unnecessary spending of public funds. He made many reforms in terms of foreign policy, currency coins and tariffs.

In 1886, Grover Cleveland who was 49, married Frances Folsom, the 22 year old daughter of his friend Oscar Folsom. The couple married in the Blue room of the White House. In American history, Grover Cleveland was the only President whose wedding took place in the White House and Frances Folsom, the youngest First Lady. The couple have five children.

In 1888, Grover Cleveland lost the Presidential Election to Benjamin Harrison of the Republican Party. The couple then shifted to New York City, where Cleveland resumed law practice. His popular image as an honest politician led him to win the Presidential election, for the second time in 1893. Thus, he served the second term as the President of the United States. In 1897, he left the office and stayed in Princeton, New Jersey. He remain engaged in writing, lecturing and other social activities. He died of heart attack in 1908, in Princeton.