History UsefulNotes / GroverCleveland

-->--'''Music/JonathanCoulton''', "The Presidents"

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' features a brief line referring to The Monarch acquiring "Grover Cleveland's Presidential Time Machine". To date, it has not been mentioned again since, but the show's creators are [[BrickJoke fond of revisiting that kind of thing]].

-->'''Shake''': Who do you think you are?
-->'''Frylock''': I'm the only US President to serve two non-consecutive terms in the Oval Office.
-->'''Shake''': Then that would make you Grover Cleveland and ... [[SmartBall why is this comin' out of my mouth?!]]

Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) was the only American president to serve for two non-consecutive terms, as the 22nd and 24th president ([[TheGildedAge 1885–89]] and [[TheGayNineties 1893–97]]), preceded initially by UsefulNotes/ChesterAArthur, then followed and preceded by UsefulNotes/BenjaminHarrison, then followed, in his second term, by UsefulNotes/WilliamMcKinley. He was the seventh Democratic president. Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd president, winning the 1888 election with the counterintuitive result of Cleveland winning the popular vote but Harrison winning the Electoral College. Cleveland was also the second American president to get married while in office,[[note]]The first, UsefulNotes/JohnTyler, became President only because Benjamin Harrison's grandfather, UsefulNotes/WilliamHenryHarrison, died in office ''during his first month''.[[/note]] and the only one to marry in TheWhiteHouse itself. His wife, Frances Folsom, was 27 years younger and [[WifeHusbandry he was her guardian since childhood]]. Alongside UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson, he was one of the only two Democratic presidents from a period of Republican dominance in the White House lasting from 1861 to 1933. He used to be on the $1,000 bill, but these were discontinued in 1969.

Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) was the only American president to serve for two non-consecutive terms, as the 22nd and 24th president ([[TheGildedAge 1885–89]] and [[TheGayNineties 1893–97]]), preceded initially by UsefulNotes/ChesterAArthur, then followed and preceded by UsefulNotes/BenjaminHarrison, then followed, in his second term, by UsefulNotes/WilliamMcKinley. He was the seventh Democratic president. Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd president, winning the 1888 election with the counterintuitive result of Cleveland winning the popular vote but Harrison winning the Electoral College. Cleveland was also the second American president to get married while in office,[[note]]The first, UsefulNotes/JohnTyler, became President only because Benjamin Harrison's grandfather, UsefulNotes/WilliamHenryHarrison, died in office ''during his first month''.[[/note]] and the only one to marry in TheWhiteHouse itself. His wife was 27 years younger and [[WifeHusbandry he was her guardian since childhood]]. Alongside UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson, he was one of the only two Democratic presidents from a period of Republican dominance in the White House lasting from 1861 to 1933. He used to be on the $1,000 bill, but these were discontinued in 1969.

He may have fathered a child out of wedlock. During his 1884 presidential campaign, the ''Buffalo Telegraph'' published a story about how he had an affair with a widow named Maria Halpin, who had borne a son and named him Oscar Folsom Cleveland, after Grover and his law partner. Cleveland wasn't certain that the child was his, but since denying it would mean accusing his married friends of infidelity (Halpin, by all accounts, was known for her [[ReallyGetsAround promiscuity]]), [[GiveTheBabyAFather he paid child support to Halpin regularly and never claimed anything to the contrary]]. His Republican opponents took the story and ran with it, heckling Cleveland with chants of "Maw, Maw, where's my Paw?"; after he won the election, the Democrats added the IronicEcho "Gone to the White House, haw, haw, haw!" For what it is worth, Halpin claimed he ''raped'' her. The scandal might well have ruined Cleveland's campaign had his opponent, James G. Blaine, not had ''two'' comparable scandals to deal with: one involving suspicious money from railroads, and another just days before the election when one of his spokesmen gave an inflammatory, anti-Catholic speech in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, which virtually destroyed Blaine's support in the city, which had a lot of Catholic voters, probably throwing the election to Cleveland.

Libertarians regard him as a highly underrated president, as he mostly stayed within the ("original") constitutional bounds of his office and of federal power, and because he generally opposed the growth of labor unions and regulation of big business, though the latter contributed heavily to an economic crisis in his second term. He fought waste and corruption by using the veto more than every president before him ''combined'' (which got him nicknamed "His Obstinacy") and kept America on the UsefulNotes/{{gold}} standard at a time when it was politically unpopular (even within his own party, which repudiated him to an extent in 1896 by nominating UsefulNotes/WilliamJenningsBryan, an outspoken critic of the gold standard, for President), which is considered a big reason for the astounding economic growth in the late nineteenth century (save the Panic of 1893). He still remains acclaimed for his honesty, which is the source of another of his nicknames, "Grover the Good". As with many other politicians of the era, where his reputation really suffers is in the area of civil rights -- not so much because of anything that Cleveland did directly, but rather his refusal to veto the Scott Act of 1888 (which expanded the Chinese Exclusion Act passed during Arthur's administration) and his nomination of Melville Fuller as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; Fuller's court would proceed to dismantle virtually all of the civil rights legislation that had been passed in the aftermath of the Civil War, in addition to weakening the rights of workers.

Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) was the only American president to serve for two non-consecutive terms, as the 22nd and 24th president ([[TheGildedAge 1885–89]] and [[TheGayNineties 1893–97]]), preceded initially by UsefulNotes/ChesterAArthur, then followed and preceded by UsefulNotes/BenjaminHarrison, then followed, in his second term, by UsefulNotes/WilliamMcKinley. He was the seventh Democratic president. Benjamin Harrison was the 23rd president, winning the 1888 election with the counterintuitive result of Cleveland winning the popular vote but Harrison winning the Electoral College. Cleveland was also the second American president to get married while in office,[[note]]The first, UsefulNotes/JohnTyler, became President only because Benjamin Harrison's grandfather, UsefulNotes/WilliamHenryHarrison, died in office ''during his first month''.[[/note]] and the only one to marry in TheWhiteHouse itself. Alongside UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson, he was one of the only two Democratic presidents from a period of Republican dominance in the White House lasting from 1861 to 1933. He used to be on the $1,000 bill, but these were discontinued in 1969.

Libertarians regard him as a highly underrated president, as he mostly stayed within the ("original") constitutional bounds of his office and of federal power, and because he generally opposed the growth of labor unions and regulation of big business, though the latter contributed heavily to an economic crisis in his second term. He fought waste and corruption by using the veto more than every president before him ''combined'' (which got him nicknamed "His Obstinacy") and kept America on the UsefulNotes/{{gold}} standard at a time when it was politically unpopular (even within his own party, which repudiated him to an extent in 1896 by nominating UsefulNotes/WilliamJenningsBryan, an outspoken critic of the gold standard, for President), which is considered a big reason for the astounding economic growth in the late nineteenth century (save the Panic of 1893). He still remains acclaimed for his honesty, which is the source of another of his nicknames, "Grover the Good".

[[Series/SesameStreet Grover the Muppet]] was named after him. He was also the first President to have his [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-5Bk1Hjstc voice recorded]].

[[Series/SesameStreet Grover the Muppet]] was named after him.

Cleveland retired to UsefulNotes/NewJersey after leaving office, preferring to remain out of the public eye, although he did retain influence in the Democratic Party. He did briefly reenter the national scene in 1904 when conservative Democrats tried to persuade him to run for a third term against UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt; Cleveland, however, chose to remain in retirement rather than ending his career by losing to a popular incumbent.[[note]]That year's Democratic candidate, Alton B. Parker, was a friend and protégé of Cleveland's who, indeed, lost to Roosevelt in a landslide.[[/note]] He died of a heart attack in 1908, his [[FamousLastWords last words]] being, "I have tried so hard to do right."

Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) was the only American president to serve for two non-consecutive terms, as the 22nd and 24th president ([[TheGildedAge 1885–89]] and [[TheGayNineties 1893–97]]), preceded initially by UsefulNotes/ChesterAArthur, then followed and preceded by UsefulNotes/BenjaminHarrison, then followed, in his second term, by UsefulNotes/WilliamMcKinley. He was the seventh Democratic president. UsefulNotes/BenjaminHarrison was the 23rd president, winning the 1888 election with the counterintuitive result of Cleveland winning the popular vote but Harrison winning the Electoral College. Cleveland was also the second American president to get married while in office,[[note]]The first, UsefulNotes/JohnTyler, became President only because Benjamin Harrison's grandfather, UsefulNotes/WilliamHenryHarrison, died in office ''during his first month''.[[/note]] and the only one to marry in TheWhiteHouse itself. Alongside UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson, he was one of the only two Democratic presidents from a period of Republican dominance in the White House lasting from 1861 to 1933. He used to be on the $1,000 bill, but these have been discontinued since 1969.

He was [[{{Conscription}} drafted]] during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar but paid $150 for a substitute (entirely legal at the time), making him America's first [[DraftDodging draft-dodger]] President. This, and his refusal to grant bonuses to Civil War veterans, probably helped him lose to the aforementioned Harrison.

He started his political career as the sheriff of Erie County, UsefulNotes/{{New York|State}}, where he handled the execution of several prisoners himself. He later served as mayor of Buffalo and governor of the state.

He may have fathered a child out of wedlock. During his 1884 presidential campaign, the ''Buffalo Telegraph'' published a story about how he had an affair with a widow named Maria Halpin, who had borne a son and named him Oscar Folsom Cleveland, after Grover and his law partner. Cleveland wasn't certain that the child was his, but since denying it would mean accusing his married friends of infidelity (Halpin, by all accounts, was known for her [[ReallyGetsAround promiscuity]]), [[GiveTheBabyAFather he paid child support to Halpin regularly and never claimed anything to the contrary]]. His Republican opponents took the story and ran with it, heckling Cleveland with chants of "Maw, Maw, where's my Paw?"; after he won the election, the Democrats added as an IronicEcho, "Gone to the White House, haw haw haw!" For what it is worth, Halpin asserted that he ''raped'' her. The scandal may well have ruined Cleveland's campaign had it not been for the fact that his opponent, James G. Blaine, had ''two'' comparable scandals to deal with: one involving suspicious money from railroads, and another just days before the election when one of his spokesmen gave an inflammatory, anti-Catholic speech in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, which virtually destroyed Blaine's support in the city, which had a lot of Catholic voters, and threw the election to Cleveland.

At the start of his second term as president he discovered a tumor on the roof of his mouth; he had the tumor removed [[BackAlleyDoctor in a secret operation on the presidential yacht]] which [[SecretStabWound was never revealed]] until well after his death.

Libertarians regard him as a highly underrated president, as he mostly stayed within the ("original") constitutional bounds of his office and of federal power, and because he generally opposed the growth of labor unions and regulation of big business, though that contributed to an economic crisis in his second term. He fought against waste and corruption by using the veto more than every president before him ''combined'' (which got him nicknamed (His Obstinacy") and kept America on the UsefulNotes/{{gold}} standard at a time when it was politically unpopular (even within his own party, which repudiated him to an extent in 1896 by nominating UsefulNotes/WilliamJenningsBryan, an outspoken critic of the gold standard, for President), which is considered a big reason for the astounding economic growth in the late nineteenth century (save the Panic of 1893). He still remains acclaimed for his honesty, which is the source of another of his nicknames, "Grover the Good".

Meanwhile, American sugar planters in the UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}}an islands overthrew Queen Liliuokalani and created the Republic of Hawaii. They petitioned the American government to annex them, but Cleveland realized the scheme that had taken place and refused. His immediate successor, UsefulNotes/WilliamMcKinley, would do so.

Cleveland retired to New Jersey after leaving office, preferring to remain out of the public eye although he did retain influence in the Democratic Party. He did briefly reenter the national scene in 1904 when conservative Democrats tried to persuade him to run for a third term against UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt; Cleveland, however, chose to remain in retirement rather than ending his career by losing to a popular incumbent.[[note]]That year's Democratic candidate, Alton B. Parker, was a friend and protégé of Cleveland's who, indeed, lost to Roosevelt in a landslide.[[/note]] He died of a heart attack in 1908, his [[FamousLastWords last words]] being, "I have tried so hard to do right."

He may have fathered a child out of wedlock. During his campaign for his first term, the ''Buffalo Telegraph'' published a story about how he had an affair with a widow named Maria Halpin, who had borne a son and named him Oscar Folsom Cleveland, after Grover and his law partner. Cleveland wasn't certain that the child was his, but since denying it would mean accusing his married friends of infidelity (Halpin, by all accounts, was known for her [[ReallyGetsAround promiscuity]]), [[GiveTheBabyAFather he paid child support to Halpin regularly and never claimed anything to the contrary]]. His Republican opponents took the story and ran with it, heckling Cleveland with chants of "Maw, Maw, where's my Paw?"; after he won the election, the Democrats added as an IronicEcho, "Gone to the White House, haw haw haw!" For what it is worth, Halpin asserted that he ''raped'' her. The scandal may well have ruined Cleveland's campaign had it not been for the fact that his opponent, James G. Blaine, had ''two'' comparable scandals to deal with: one involving railroad money, and another just days before the election when one of his spokesmen gave an inflammatory, anti-Catholic speech in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, which virtually destroyed Blaine's support in the city and threw the election to Cleveland.

Libertarians regard him as a highly underrated president, as he mostly stayed within the ("original") constitutional bounds of his office and of federal power, and also because he generally opposed the growth of labor unions and regulation of big business, though that contributed to an economic crisis in his second term. He fought against waste and corruption by using the veto more than any president before him (which got him nicknamed "His Obstinacy") and kept America on the UsefulNotes/{{gold}} standard at a time when it was politically unpopular (even within his own party, which repudiated him to an extent in 1896 by nominating UsefulNotes/WilliamJenningsBryan, an outspoken critic of the gold standard, for President), which is considered a big reason for the astounding economic growth in the late nineteenth century (save the Panic of 1893). He still remains acclaimed for his honesty.

During the start of his second term, a huge economic crisis developed, arguably the first of America's industrial age. It was caused by [[HistoryRepeats business overspeculation, shaky loans, and bank failures]]. Unemployment rose to over 18%, over 8,000 businesses collapsed within months, and people all over the country had to wait in food lines for hours so that they could feed their families. It was often known as the Great Depression before, well, [[TheGreatDepression The Great Depression]]. Unemployed workers from the Midwest marched to UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC, and over 150,000 railroad workers went on strike (the quotation at the top of the page references Cleveland using federal troops to break the strike). Cleveland ascribed the problem to the Sherman Silver Purchase Act passed during Harrison's term. He successfully had the act repealed, but this caused the Treasury's gold supply to drop below $100 million. Overwhelmed, he turned towards banker J. P. Morgan to bail out a lot of government bonds. Many people criticized the President for apparently looking out for the money of the wealthy and not taking care of the suffering poor.

Cleveland retired to New Jersey after leaving office, preferring to remain out of the public eye although he did retain influence in the Democratic Party. He did briefly reenter the national scene in 1904 when conservative Democrats tried persuading him to run for a third term against UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt; Cleveland, however, chose to remain in retirement rather than ending his career by losing to a popular incumbent.[[note]]That year's Democratic candidate, Alton B. Parker, was a friend and protégé of Cleveland's who, indeed, lost to Roosevelt in a landslide.[[/note]] He died of a heart attack in 1908, his last words being, "I tried so hard to do right."

* Webcomic/CaseyAndAndy has him compete with Andy for the romantic attentions of Frances Folsom, who actually turns out to be Satan.

* In an episode of ''Series/MurphyBrown'', Phil complains that George Bush and his entourage never stop by his restaurant while they're jogging. "What we need's another President like Grover Cleveland! Nice and fat and slow."

Cleveland retired to New Jersey after leaving office, preferring to remain out of the public eye although he did retain influence in the Democratic Party. He did briefly reenter the national scene in 1904 when conservative Democrats tried persuading him to run for a third term against UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt; Cleveland, however, chose to remain in retirement rather than ending his career by losing to a popular incumbent.[note]That year's Democratic candidate, Alton B. Parker, was a friend and protégé of Cleveland's who, indeed, lost to Roosevelt in a landslide.[/note] He died of a heart attack in 1908, his last words being, "I tried so hard to do right."

* In an episode of ''Series/MurphyBrown'', Phil complains that George Bush and his entourage never stop by his resturant while they're jogging. "What we need's another President like Grover Cleveland! Nice and fat and slow."

He may have fathered a child out of wedlock. During his campaign for his first term, the ''Buffalo Telegraph'' published a story about how he had an affair with a widow named Maria Halpin, who had borne a son and named him Oscar Folsom Cleveland, after Grover and his law partner. Cleveland wasn't certain that the child was his, but since denying it would mean accusing his married friends of infidelity (Halpin, by all accounts, was known for her [[ReallyGetsAround promiscuity]]), [[GiveTheBabyAFather he paid child support to Halpin regularly and never claimed anything to the contrary]]. His Republican opponents took the story and ran with it, heckling Cleveland with chants of "Maw, Maw, where's my Paw?"; after he won the election, the Democrats added as an IronicEcho, "Gone to the White House, haw haw haw!" For what it is worth, Halpin asserted that he ''raped'' her. The scandal may well have ruined Cleveland's campaign had it not been for the fact that his opponent, James G. Blaine, had ''two'' scandals to deal with: one involving railroad money, and another just days before the election when one of his spokesmen gave an inflammatory, anti-Catholic speech in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, which virtually destroyed Blaine's support in the city and threw the election to Cleveland.

Met UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt when he was just five years old and reportedly said, "My little man, I am making a strange wish for you. It is that [[TemptingFate you may never be President of the United States]]." Just goes to show you should never tell a Roosevelt not to do something in any way, shape or form.

Libertarians regard him as a highly underrated president, as he mostly stayed within the ("original") constitutional bounds of his office and of federal power, and also because he generally opposed the growth of labor unions and regulation of big business, though that contributed to an economic crisis in his second term. He fought against waste and corruption by using the veto more than any president before him (which got him nicknamed "His Obstinacy") and kept America on the UsefulNotes/{{gold}} standard at a time when it was politically unpopular (even within his own party, which repudiated him to an extent in 1896 by nominating UsefulNotes/WilliamJenningsBryan, an outspoken critic of the gold standard, for President), which is considered a big reason for the astounding economic growth in the late nineteenth century (with the exception of the Panic of 1893). He still remains acclaimed for his honesty.

During the start of his second term, a huge economic crisis developed, arguably the first of America's industrial age. It was caused by [[HistoryRepeats business overspeculation, shaky loans, and bank failures]]. Unemployment rose to over 18%, over 8,000 businesses collapsed within months, and people all over the country had to wait in food lines for hours so that they could feed their families. It was often known as the Great Depression before an [[TheGreatDepression even worse one]] happened. Unemployed workers from the Midwest marched to UsefulNotes/WashingtonDC, and over 150,000 railroad workers went on strike (the quotation at the top of the page references Cleveland using federal troops to break the strike). Cleveland ascribed the problem to the Sherman Silver Purchase Act passed during Harrison's term. He successfully had the act repealed, but this caused the Treasury's gold supply to drop below $100 million. Overwhelmed, he turned towards banker J. P. Morgan to bail out a lot of government bonds. Many people criticized the President for apparently looking out for the money of the wealthy and not taking care of the suffering poor.

* The Creator/{{Disney}} film ''The One and Only Genuine Original Family Band'' is about a politically divided family during the 1888 presidential election. The family patriarch, played by Walter Brennan, is a hardcore Democrat who writes a campaign song for Cleveland, which we hear performed by the family twice during the film.

Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908) was the only American president to serve for two non-consecutive terms, as the 22nd and 24th president ([[TheGildedAge 1885–89]] and [[TheGayNineties 1893–97]]), preceded initially by UsefulNotes/ChesterAArthur, then followed and preceded by UsefulNotes/BenjaminHarrison, then followed, in his second term, by UsefulNotes/WilliamMcKinley. He was the seventh Democratic president. UsefulNotes/BenjaminHarrison was the 23rd president, winning a bizarre race in 1888 in which Cleveland won the popular vote but Harrison prevailed in the Electoral College. Cleveland was also the second American president to get married while in office,[[note]]The first, UsefulNotes/JohnTyler, became President only because Benjamin Harrison's grandfather, UsefulNotes/WilliamHenryHarrison, died in office ''during his first month''.[[/note]] and the only one to marry in TheWhiteHouse itself. Alongside UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson, he was one of the only two Democratic presidents from a period of Republican dominance in the White House lasting from 1861 to 1933. He used to be on the $1,000 bill, but these have been discontinued since 1969.

He was drafted during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar but paid $150 for a substitute (entirely legal at the time), making him America's first [[DraftDodging draft-dodger]] President. This, and his refusal to grant bonuses to Civil War veterans, probably helped him lose to the aforementioned Harrison.

He started his political career as the Sheriff of Erie County, UsefulNotes/{{New York|State}}, where he handled the execution of several prisoners himself.

He may or may not have fathered a child out of wedlock. During his campaign for his first term, the ''Buffalo Telegraph'' published a story about how he had an affair with a widow named Maria Halpin, who had borne a son and named him Oscar Folsom Cleveland. Cleveland wasn't certain that the child was his, but since denying it would be mean accusing his married friends of infidelity (Halpin, by all accounts, was known for her [[ReallyGetsAround promiscuity]]), [[GiveTheBabyAFather he paid child support to Halpin regularly and never claimed anything to the contrary]]. His Republican opponents took the story and ran with it, heckling Cleveland with chants of "Maw, Maw, where's my Paw?"; after he won the election, the Democrats added, "Gone to the White House, haw haw haw!" For what it is worth, Halpin's accounts of their encounter mention that he ''forcibly'' had sex with her ''without her consent''. The scandal may well have ruined Cleveland's bid for the presidency had it not been for the fact that his opponent, James G. Blaine, had ''two'' scandals to deal with; one involving railroad money, and another just days before the election when one of his spokesmen gave an inflammatory, anti-Catholic speech in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity, which virtually destroyed Blaine's support in the city and threw the election to Cleveland.

Libertarians regard him as a highly underrated president, as he mostly stayed within the ("original") constitutional bounds of his office and of federal power, and also because he generally opposed the growth of labor unions and regulation of big business, though that contributed to an economic crisis in his second term. He fought against waste and corruption by using the veto more than any president before him (which got him nicknamed "His Obstinacy") and kept America on the gold standard at a time when it was politically unpopular, which is considered a big reason for the astounding economic growth in the late nineteenth century (with the exception of the Panic of 1893). He still remains acclaimed for his honesty.

During the start of his second term, a huge economic crisis developed, arguably the first of America's industrial age. It was caused by [[HistoryRepeats business overspeculation, shaky loans, and bank failures]]. Unemployment rose to over 18%, over 8,000 businesses collapsed within months, and people all over the country had wait in food lines for hours so that they could feed their families. It was often known as the Great Depression before an [[TheGreatDepression even worse one]] happened. Unemployed workers from the Midwest marched to the capital, and over 150,000 railroad workers went on strike (the quote at the top of the page references Cleveland using federal troops to forcibly end the strike). Cleveland pointed to the Sherman Silver Purchase Act passed during Harrison's term as the root cause. He successfully had the act repealed, but this caused the Treasury's gold supply to drop below $100 million. Overwhelmed, he turned towards banker J. P. Morgan to bail out a lot of government bonds. Many people criticized the President for apparently looking out for the money of the wealthy and not taking care of the suffering poor.

Meanwhile, American sugar planters in the Hawaiian islands overthrew Queen Liliuokalani and created the Republic of Hawaii. They petitioned the American government to annex them, but Cleveland realized the scheme that had taken place and refused. His immediate successor, UsefulNotes/WilliamMcKinley, would do so.

** It appears near the end of season 7 with little mention. A short time later a future Rusty and Billy emerge dressed as a ''UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic'' passenger and Confederate General respectively.

Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 -- June 24, 1908) was the only American president to hold two non-consecutive terms, as the 22nd and 24th president ([[TheGildedAge 1885-89]], [[TheGayNineties 1893-97]]), preceded initially by UsefulNotes/ChesterAArthur, then followed and preceded by UsefulNotes/BenjaminHarrison, then followed, in his second term, by UsefulNotes/WilliamMcKinley. He was the seventh Democratic President. UsefulNotes/BenjaminHarrison was the 23rd president, winning a bizarre race in 1888 in which Cleveland won the popular vote but Harrison prevailed in the Electoral College. Cleveland was also the second American president to get married while in office (after UsefulNotes/JohnTyler [[note]] who only became President because Benjamin Harrison's grandfather died in office ''during his first 100 days''[[/note]]), and the only one to marry in the White House itself. Alongside UsefulNotes/WoodrowWilson, he was one of the only two Democratic Presidents from a period of Republican dominance in the White House lasting from 1861 to 1933. He used to be on the $1,000 dollar bill, but these have been discontinued since 1969.

He was drafted during the American Civil War but paid $150 for a substitute (entirely legal at the time), making him America's first [[DraftDodging draft-dodger]] President. This, and his refusal to grant bonuses to Civil War veterans, probably helped him lose to the aforementioned Harrison.

He started his political career as the Sheriff of Erie County, New York, where he handled the execution of several prisoners himself.

He may or may not have fathered a child out of wedlock. During his campaign for his first term, the ''Buffalo Telegraph'' published a story about how he had an affair with a widow named Maria Halphin, who had borne a child. Cleveland wasn't certain that the child was his, but since denying it would be mean accusing his married friends of infidelity (Halphin, by all accounts, was known to [[ReallyGetsAround really get around]]), [[GiveTheBabyAFather he paid child support to Halphin regularly and never claimed anything to the contrary]]. His opponents took the story and ran with it, heckling Cleveland with chants of ''"'Maw, Maw, where's my Paw?' 'Gone to the White House, haw haw haw!'"'' For what it is worth, Halphin's accounts of their encounter mention that he ''forcibly'' had sex with her ''without her consent''. The scandal may well have ruined Cleveland's bid for the presidency had it not been for the fact that his opponent, James G. Blaine, had ''two'' scandals to deal with; one involving railroad money, and another just days before the election when one of his spokesmen gave an inflammatory, anti-Catholic speech in New York City, which virtually destroyed Blaine's support in the city and threw the election to Cleveland.

He is considered by libertarians to be a highly underrated President, as he mostly stayed within the Constitutional bounds of his office and of Federal power, and also because he generally opposed the growth of labor unions and regulation of big business, though that contributed to an economic crisis in his second term. He fought against waste and corruption by using the veto more than any President before him and kept America on the Gold Standard at a time when it was politically unpopular, which is considered a big reason for the astounding economic growth in the late Nineteenth Century (with the exception of the Panic of 1893). He still remains acclaimed for his honesty.

Cleveland was the President who dedicated the Statue of Liberty when it was completed in 1886.

Meanwhile, American sugar planters in the Hawaiian islands overthrew Queen Liliuokalani and created the Republic of Hawaii. They petitioned the American government to annex them, but Cleveland realized the scheme that had taken place and refused. The guy after him, UsefulNotes/WilliamMcKinley, would do so.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad''. In the episode about the peanut brittle conspiracy, Stan refers to Grover as "America's greatest president". He left the peanut butter on George Washington Carver's doorstep.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' writer Ken Keeler has apparently worked a joke referencing the fact the Grover served two non-consecutive terms into every show he has written for, for instance in the episode 'Two Bad Neighbors' (the one with UsefulNotes/GeorgeHWBush).
-->Abe: Grover Cleveland spanked me on two non-consecutive occasions.
** When asked to explain why this trademark joke involving Cleveland was funny he replied, 'Oh, it's not funny!' and then explained the facts about Cleveland for those not aware.
** In ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', the crew visit the Hall of Presidents in the Head Museum. First there is Grover Cleveland's head, then Benjamin Harrison's head, then ''a second Grover Cleveland's head''.

* The Creator/{{Disney}} film ''Film/TheOneAndOnlyGenuineOriginalFamilyBand'' is about a politically divided family during the election of 1888. The family patriarch, played by Walter Brennan, is a hardcore Democrat who writes a campaign song for Cleveland, which we hear performed by the family twice during the film.

** It appears near the end of season 7 with little mention. A short time later a future Rusty and Billy emerge dressed as a Titanic passenger and Confederate General respectively.

-->Shake: Who do you think you are?
-->Frylock: I'm the only US President to serve 2 non-consecutive terms in the oval office.
-->Shake: Then that would make you Grover Cleveland and...[[SmartBall why is this comin' out of my mouth?!]]

Started his political career as the Sheriff of Erie County, New York, where he handled the execution of several prisoners himself.

May or may not have fathered a child out of wedlock. During his campaign for his first term, the ''Buffalo Telegraph'' published a story about how he had an affair with a widow named Maria Halphin, who had borne a child. Cleveland wasn't certain that the child was his, but since denying it would be mean accusing his married friends of infidelity (Halphin, by all accounts, was known to [[ReallyGetsAround really get around]]), [[GiveTheBabyAFather he paid child support to Halphin regularly and never claimed anything to the contrary]]. His opponents took the story and ran with it, heckling Cleveland with chants of ''"'Maw, Maw, where's my Paw?' 'Gone to the White House, haw haw haw!'"'' For what it is worth, Halphin's accounts of their encounter mention that he ''forcibly'' had sex with her ''without her consent''. The scandal may well have ruined Cleveland's bid for the presidency had it not been for the fact that his opponent, James G. Blaine, had ''two'' scandals to deal with; one involving railroad money, and another just days before the election when one of his spokesmen gave an inflammatory, anti-Catholic speech in New York City, which virtually destroyed Blaine's support in the city and threw the election to Cleveland.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' features a brief line referring to "Grover Cleveland's Presidential Time Machine". To date, it has not been mentioned again since, but the show's creators are [[BrickJoke fond of revisiting that kind of thing]].

He is considered by libertarians to be a highly underrated President, as he mostly stayed within the Constitutional bounds of his office and of Federal power, and also because he generally opposed the growth of labor unions. He fought against waste and corruption by using the veto more than any President before him and kept America on the Gold Standard at a time when it was politically unpopular, which is considered a big reason for the astounding economic growth in the late Nineteenth Century (with the exception of the Panic of 1893). He still remains acclaimed for his honesty.