Americans are fascinated by the stories of our nation’s leaders, yet some presidents receive far more attention and recognition than others.
Icons such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln dominate our historical narrative. However, there’s a name that deserves to be mentioned alongside these giants: Grover Cleveland.
If your first response is "Cleveland who?" or if you think Cleveland is merely a city in Ohio, you’re not alone.
Despite his contributions to the American narrative, Grover Cleveland remains one of the most underrated leaders ever to grace the Oval Office.
Beyond his mention in trivia questions, often related to his unique distinction as the only president to date to serve non-consecutive terms, not much is known about the man who held the office of America’s 22nd and 24th president.
And that’s a real disservice to America’s rising generations.
For starters, Cleveland’s first victory in 1884 marked the first time a Democrat was elected as America’s chief executive since the end of the Civil War in 1865.
While getting elected president is no small feat, it’s even more impressive when you consider that just two years before his win, Cleveland was serving as mayor of Buffalo.
In less than three years, he went from mayor of Buffalo to governor of New York to commander in chief. Talk about a meteoric political rise!
Although Cleveland served non-consecutive terms, he won the national popular vote three times in a row. In 1888, he lost in the Electoral College to challenger Benjamin Harrison.
This achievement alone puts Cleveland in an elite trio of chief executives, with Andrew Jackson and Franklin D. Roosevelt rounding out the list of three-peat victors.
But victories and quick ascension aside, Cleveland was a man of his word who refused to be swayed by special interests.
In each of his presidential victories, as well as his gubernatorial win in New York, Cleveland made it clear that he would challenge the patronage system that had come to dominate both offices.
This was no small feat, considering Cleveland was willing to fight Tammany Hall, whose mere opposition would have doomed most candidates.
Cleveland’s disdain for patronage and political favors even extended to his friend and former law partner, Shan Bissell.
Cleveland not only denied Bissell a cabinet role and a consulship but also accused him of failing to understand his conviction to such principles.
These principles extended to Cleveland’s respect and desire to preserve the Constitution, oftentimes putting him at odds with members of his own party.
By the end of his two terms, Cleveland had vetoed over 500 bills, more than double the amount of his predecessors combined.
Most of these vetoes were attempts by Cleveland to eliminate what he considered government waste from the legislative branch. In Cleveland’s world, "waste of public money" was a "crime against the citizen."
During the Panic of 1893, when the unemployment rate reached over 40% in Michigan alone, Cleveland vetoed a bill designed to provide relief to parts of Texas that were struggling with a historic drought.
In explaining his veto of the Texas Seed Bill, which would have allowed the federal government to distribute seeds to residents of the Lone Star State in need, Cleveland’s reasoning was succinct and principled, "I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution."
It’s hard to imagine our leaders today taking similar actions, especially when such actions come from principle and not political expediency or gain.
Ultimately, Cleveland’s name will probably never evoke the same sentimentality or respect as those of our more "popular" leaders.
He wasn’t a wartime president or a veteran of our armed forces for that matter.
He didn’t create any bureaucracies or agencies that remain with us today.
Cleveland was a simple man from New Jersey whose political future would be made in New York, in Buffalo of all places.
And truth be told, he probably wouldn’t recognize or feel welcome in his party today.
March 18 will mark Cleveland’s 187th birthday. Aside from a mention or two from a few history buffs, it will likely pass with little fanfare.
Perhaps, as more time passes and future generations learn about his legacy, we can use the day to reflect on his remarkable contribution (or deliberate lack thereof, for the better) to the American experiment.
Without excessive celebrations or going over budget, of course.
Cleveland would undoubtedly want it no other way.
Jacob Lane is a Republican strategist and school choice activist. He has worked for GOP campaigns at the federal, state and local levels, as well as with various PACs and nonprofits. Read Jacob Lane's Reports — More Here.
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