The Rise of Grover Cleveland
From Lawyer, to Mayor, to Governor, to President in Three Years
May 8, 2008
Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) lived a somewhat itinerate childhood, moving from Caldwell, New Jersey to Fayettville, New York, to Clinton, New York and then to Holland Patent, New York.
It was soon after this third move, when young Grover (who was born Stephen Grover Cleveland) was 16, that his father died and the young man, along with his older brothers, left school to help his family.
Not attending school was not the end of the world, however, for a person with such natural abilities as Grover Cleveland. After spending a year assisting his brother in teaching at a school for the blind in New York City, Cleveland returned to Holland Patent for a short time. Unable to find work there, however, he decided to head west - ironically, to Cleveland, Ohio (which was not, as many believe, named for him or his family).
Cleveland only made it as far as Buffalo, New York, however, where lived Lewis Allen, his Uncle. Allen offered Cleveland a job, which the young man took. Eventually, he moved on to work as a clerk in an important law firm, which he enjoyed so much that he decided to become a lawyer himself. In 1959, at 22 years old, after having lacked direction in life for so long, Cleveland had taken his first step toward his future.
Politics as a Lawyer
Cleveland worked for the law firm in which he had clerked for a few years before setting out on his own. In 1863 he was offered a position as assistant to the Erie County District Attorney, and two years later he ran for this position himself (which he narrowly lost) - his very first political campaign.
Already, Cleveland had begun to demonstrate his strong Democratic principles, aligning himself with this party right from the beginning (which at this point, during the height of the Civil War, found him in the minority).
Cleveland did not serve in the war himself, instead opting to pay another man to serve for him (which was a legal option at that time), but continued in his law career, earning a solid reputation (though not a stellar one) throughout Erie County.
Cleveland's second try at being elected into local office was more successful than his first. In 1871 he won election for county Sheriff, wherein he served for two years before, once again, heading back to his law practice.
For the final seven years of the 1870's, Cleveland built up for himself a legacy as a faithful Democrat - in favor of limiting taxes, defending the constitution, and limiting government - but he also possessed a strong distaste of the corrupt politics which was being played by both sides.
Mayor of Buffalo and Governor
Because of his "squeaky clean" image of incorruptability, which many viewed as a breath of fresh air, the local Democratic party convinced Cleveland to run for mayor of Buffalo - a term which would begin at the start of 1882.
Cleveland accepted and easily won the election, proving that the people of the county were indeed willing to vote for a man who would limit government corruption to a minimum.
As a result of his success here, Cleveland's party quickly recognized that he might also be capable of running for governor - an election which was occuring that same year. So, less than a year after becoming mayor, Cleveland ran for Governor of the State of New York.
Despite the fact that the name Grover Cleveland was relatively unknown outside of Erie County, many were persuaded with what they heard of him during the campaign - especially his promises of honesty, which was a breath of fresh air in a state dominated by machine politics, led by New York City's Tammany Hall organization.
The results of the election show just how fed up people were with the political status quo - Cleveland won by nearly 200,000 votes out of only 900,000 cast.
Taking office at the beginning of 1883, Cleveland immediately continued his streak of political honesty and opposition to corruption. He used his veto power to stall corrupt bills and opposed the Tammany Hall political machine, earning him great popularity.
Election of 1884
As the 1884 Presidential election approached, the Democratic party found themselves in a position to perhaps win for the first time since James Buchanan in 1856 (Andrew Johnson had never been elected). Facing Republican James G. Blaine, a man many believed to be corrupt and dishonest, the Democrats believed they could counter with a candidate known for honesty.
As Governor of the great state of New York, and thus a national figure (though only two years earlier he had been nearly entirely unknown), Cleveland seemed to fit the bill. Though he faced a couple others in the fight for the nomination, he earned the honor after only two ballots at that year's convention.
Cleveland was nominated and began a campaign which was, as usual, very personal and brutal. Cleveland was accused of having fathered an illigitimate child (which most likely was true, as he admitted to paying child support, though he said he wasn't sure if he was the father), while Cleveland accused his opponent of embodying the corruption he had always opposed.
It was a close election, but in the end, Cleveland beat Blaine, 219 electoral votes to 182.
Taking the oath of office in 1884, Cleveland had spent the past three years undergoing perhaps the most rapid rise of any politician in American history. Now that he was President, he could finally enact those principles which had gotten him elected in the first place.
For more information see:
President Cleveland's First Term
President Cleveland's Second Term
References:
"Grover Cleveland." American Presidents: An Online Reference Resource.
"Biography of Grover Cleveland." The White House.
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