In Memorial: Presidential Monuments Dedicated to Grover Cleveland

Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the U.S., and like many of his presidents throughout history, has had memorials dedicated in his honor.

The most famous monument of Cleveland resides outside City Hall in Buffalo, New York. Sculpted by Bryant Baker, the statue was the first one of Cleveland and was installed in 1932, according to WYN Heritage Press.

There is also a statue located in the “City of Presidents” in Rapid City, South Dakota, which features Cleveland sitting down with a book in his hand. The statue was sculpted by James Maher, according to Destination Rapid City.

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Presidency: Cleveland was the winner of the popular vote three times and was one of two Democrats elected to the presidency during the Republican political domination that took place between the 1860s through the 1930s, according to the History Channel. Unfortunately for Cleveland, his second term was marked by a national depression, which went on to ruin the name of the Democratic Party and led way to the Fourth Party System and the birth of the Progressive Era. While his presidency ended on negative terms, Cleveland's character remained intact through the troubles of his second term. He went on to be a trustee for Princeton University and continued to write and speak on political matters.

“In Grover Cleveland the greatness lies in typical rather than unusual qualities," biographer Allan Nevins wrote. "He had no endowments that thousands of men do not have. He possessed honesty, courage, firmness, independence, and common sense. But he possessed them to a degree other men did not.”

Early Years: Stephen Grover Cleveland was born on March 18, 1837, in Caldwell, New Jersey, to Richard and Anne Cleveland. His father was a Presbyterian minister and Stephen Cleveland was the fifth of nine children. Richard Cleveland died in 1853, but first moved the family to New York for work. Following his father’s death, Cleveland started working to help his family survive. Although Cleveland eventually went on to pass the bar exam and open his own law firm, he never had a formal college education. He also went to become the first political sheriff of New York, and eventually, governor, in 1833.

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