1837 - 1908
Grover Cleveland
It is a plain dictate of honesty and good government that public expenditures should be limited by public necessity, and that this should be measured by the rules of strict economy; Second Inaugural Address
Overview
Stephen Grover Cleveland fell into politics without really trying. In 1881, local businessmen asked Cleveland, then a young lawyer, to run for mayor of Buffalo, New York. He agreed and won the Democratic nomination and the election. As mayor, Cleveland exposed city corruption and earned such a reputation for honesty and hard work that he won the New York gubernatorial race in 1882. Governor Cleveland used his power to take on the Tammany Hall, the political machine based in New York City, even though it had supported him in the election. Within a year, the Democrats were looking to Cleveland as an important new face and pragmatic reformer who might win the presidency in 1884.
Fast Facts
Grover Cleveland
Caldwell, New Jersey
Some common school; Read law (1855–1859)
Presbyterian
Lawyer
Democrat
"Big Steve", "Uncle Jumbo"
June 2, 1886, to Frances Folsom (1864–1947)
Ruth (1891–1904), Esther (1893–1980), Marion (1895–1977), Richard Folsom (1897–1974), Francis Grover (1903–1995)
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Princeton, New Jersey
