Grover Cleveland
The only U.S. president to serve two non-consecutive terms, a stubborn reformer who fought political machines and vetoed more bills than all his predecessors combined.
1837–1908 (age 71)·President of the United States (1885–1889; 1893–1897)·Birthday: March 18
Biography
Grover Cleveland’s political life was defined by a blunt, often unpopular integrity. A burly former sheriff and mayor of Buffalo, he rode a wave of reform sentiment into the New York governor’s mansion and then the White House in 1885. His first term was marked by a crusade against corruption and a staunch belief in limited government, evidenced by his record number of vetoes, often targeting private pension bills for Civil War veterans he deemed fraudulent. Defeated in 1888 despite winning the popular vote, he staged a remarkable comeback four years later. His second term, however, was consumed by the Panic of 1893 and the fierce battle over the gold standard, which split his party. Cleveland left office widely disliked, but history remembers him for an obstinate honesty that refused to bend to political convenience.
#1 When Grover Was Born
The biggest hits of 1837
Grover's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1837Born
1842Started school
1850Became a teenager
1853Could drive
1855Could vote
1858Turned 21
1867Turned 30
President: Andrew Johnson
1877Turned 40
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1887Turned 50
President: Grover Cleveland
1897Turned 60
President: William McKinley
1907Turned 70
Financial panic grips Wall Street
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1908Died at 71
Ford Model T goes into production
President: Theodore Roosevelt
Key Achievements
- Became the first and only U.S. president to serve two non-consecutive terms (22nd and 24th).
- Vetoed 414 bills in his first term, more than double the total of all previous presidents.
- Signed the Interstate Commerce Act in 1887, creating the first federal regulatory agency.
- Used federal troops to break the Pullman Strike in 1894, a controversial assertion of government power.
Did You Know?
He personally executed two men while serving as Sheriff of Erie County, New York, opting to spring the gallows trap himself.
His secret surgery for jaw cancer aboard a private yacht in 1893 was kept from the public to avoid financial panic.
The baby Ruth candy bar is popularly believed to have been named for his daughter, Ruth Cleveland.
He is the only president to be married in a ceremony at the White House, wedding Frances Folsom in 1886.
“A public office is a public trust.”
