Grover Cleveland – 22 & 24

Grover Cleveland was elected the 22nd, and later the 24th, President of the United States of America.

His first term as President continued from 1885 to 1889 while his second term as President continued from 1893 to 1897.

During his second term, the Panic of 1893 began which was one of the worst economic depressions of American history.

When and where was he born

Grover Cleveland was born on March 18, 1837 in Caldwell, New Jersey.

Early Life

Grover Cleveland was born in New Jersey. His father passed away while Cleveland was still a child. So he had to leave school and started working to earn money. However, he continued to read and write on his own.

Later in his life, he went to New York and stayed there with his uncle. His uncle got him a job as a clerk for a lawyer. While working on this job, Cleveland developed an interest in law. He studied law and after passing the bar exam, became a lawyer in 1859. He continued to work as a lawyer and became quite successful.

Life in Politics

In 1870, Grover Cleveland developed an interest in politics. His first political success came when he was appointed the sheriff of Erie County. During his career in politics, he gained the reputation of being an honest and hardworking man. He was later elected as the Mayor of Buffalo and was eventually made the Governor of New York.

Unlike many political leaders of his time, Grover Cleveland awarded government contracts on merit and did not give them to his friends or supporters. This firmly established his reputation as a politician with integrity.

Life as the President

Grover Cleveland first ran for the office of President in 1884. He was nominated for the office by the Democrats. He was able to win the election and began his first Presidential term in 1885.

Once he became President, Cleveland tried his best to eliminate corruption and malpractice from the affairs of the government. So he vetoed any bill which he thought was not beneficial for the people. This led him to veto a huge number of laws.

He ran for the Presidency a second time in 1888. But after a very close contest, he lost to Benjamin Harrison. Cleveland returned to his law practice during the next four years.

In 1892, he once again ran for the office of the President. This time he won and started his second term which began in 1893. However, a financial panic began in 1893 while he was in office. The panic led to a severe economic depression which resulted in the loss of many jobs and the bankruptcy of many businesses.

Cleveland could do little to end the economic depression. He completed his second term in 1897 but was not nominated for a third term.

Later Life and Death

After ending his second term in office, Grover Cleveland returned to his law practice. He died of a heart attack 11 years later in June 24, 1908.

More Facts on Grover Cleveland The American President at Wikipedia