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A Secret Life: The Lies and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland
The child was born on September 14, 1874, at the only hospital in Buffalo, New York, that offered maternity services for unwed mothers. It was a boy, and though he entered the world in a state of illegitimacy, a distinguished name was given to this Oscar Folsom Cleveland. The son of the future president of the United States—Grover Cleveland. The story of how the man who held the nation’s highest office eventually came to take responsibility for his son is a thrilling one that reads like a sordid romance novel—including allegations of rape, physical violence, and prostitution. The stunning lengths that Cleveland undertook to conceal what really happened the evening of his son’s conception are truly astonishing—including forcing the unwed mother, Maria Halpin, into an insane asylum.
A Secret Life also finally reveals what happened to Grover Cleveland’s son. Some historians have suggested that he became an alcoholic and died a young man—but Lachman definitively establishes his fate here for the first time. In this gripping historical narrative, Charles Lachman sets the scandal-plagued record straight with a tightly-coiled plot that provides for narrative history at its best.
A Secret Life also finally reveals what happened to Grover Cleveland’s son. Some historians have suggested that he became an alcoholic and died a young man—but Lachman definitively establishes his fate here for the first time. In this gripping historical narrative, Charles Lachman sets the scandal-plagued record straight with a tightly-coiled plot that provides for narrative history at its best.
496 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
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784 people want to read
About the author
Charles Lachman
11 books36 followersCharles Lachman is Executive Producer of the television news magazine show, Inside Edition. Previously he was Managing Editor of the nightly news broadcasts at WNYW-TV in New York City and was a reporter for the New York Post.
Lachman is the author of In the Name of the Law, The Last Lincolns: The Rise and Fall of a Great American Family, A Secret Life: The Lies and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland and most recently Footsteps in the Snow.
Lachman is the author of In the Name of the Law, The Last Lincolns: The Rise and Fall of a Great American Family, A Secret Life: The Lies and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland and most recently Footsteps in the Snow.
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April 6, 2019
Sensible and responsible women do not want to vote. The relative positions to be assumed by man and woman in the working out of our civilization were assigned long ago by a higher intelligence than ours.
Grover Cleveland
President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland was a Democrat, not of the Democratic Party that we know today. The two parties have actually switched policy orientation more than once. Franklin D.Roosevelt ushered in a new age of Democrats which was the beginning of the erosion of support from the Southern states. Traditionally the South had always been Democrats, but with Lyndon B. Johnson’s civil rights movement decision in the 1960s the South swung to the Republicans. With the election of Ronald “Raygun” Reagan the South firmed up as a reliable voting bloc for the GOP. When Cleveland was running for office in 1884 the Republicans had ruled the White House since 1868 including the hinky election of 1876 when Rutherford B. Hayes(R) lost the popular vote by 250,000 votes to Samuel J. Tilden(D), but after some double-dealing in the electoral college Hayes was declared the winner.
The Splintering of the Democratic Party or in this case eating it's own tail
In 1884 Cleveland’s chances to win the presidency was dim indeed, first of all he was a bachelor; second he was a known to frequent beer taverns where he not only drank a lot of beer, but consumed large gluttonous meals; third he was a draft dodger; and fourth he had an illegitimate child through an act of rape. It sounds like a recipe for a disastrous campaign or ripped from the headlines of one of our more recent elections. Cleveland had spent almost all of his adult life in Buffalo, NY. He’d taken an apprenticeship with a lawyer, passed the bar, and after years of hoisting beer steins with the right people and becoming part of “the good old boys club”. He found himself elected sheriff. Buffalo was a wide open town and for a sheriff with the right connections there was money to be made.
What is really stunning about the city of Buffalo is by 1901 they are the 9th largest city in the nation (as of 2011 they have fallen to 71st) and are awarded the honor of being the host city of the World’s Fair which also tragically became the location for the assassination of President William McKinley.
Cleveland left the sheriff’s office a wealthy man. The pay of the office was legitimately raised through fines and there were plenty of people to penalize. In the time he was a private citizen again, and before he became Mayor of Buffalo was when he met Maria Halpin. She was a shop girl in an upscale department store, valued by the establishment for her elegance, and her ability to speak French. She was a widow with two children trying to keep herself above the poverty line. She was said to be strikingly beautiful. Cleveland had met her a few times in the shop. One afternoon he ran into her on the street, which I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that it wasn’t a meeting of chance, but carefully planned. Maria was on her way to a friend’s house for a party, but Cleveland insisted that she allow him to buy her dinner. She reluctantly agreed. After dinner he walked her home and she allowed him to come up to her apartment, feeling safe because her young son was in the next room; and after all, this was an esteemed gentleman, a respected man of the community. He raped her on her couch. Now the problem with rape in the 1870s was the laws were written by men. Women had no voice in the definition of laws. There was certainly a bias against women in how the laws are written and also a real lack of empathy for rape victims. The general assumption being that the rape wouldn't have happened if the woman had simply been more careful. It was nearly impossible for a woman to prove rape.
”The presumption in the 19th century was that a woman who truly wanted to preserve her honor could repel any rape, unless it was a gang rape. She could use her hands or draw back her legs and physically thwart the insertion of a man’s penis into her body. If the act of sex was consummated during rape, it was because the woman ‘did not earnestly resist it.’
Charles Lachman provides several incidents of rape that were brought before the courts and overturned usually for the reason that the woman simply did not “resist” enough. ”According to the customs of the time, it was fine for a man with normal biological urges to use a ‘certain degree of violence’ when engaging in sex. As the law saw it, even if the woman put up a struggle, that was foreplay.” So basically the law was based on very crude assumptions, one being the woman should not have placed herself in such circumstances to start with. Two she shouldn’t have led the man on in the first place. Three she should have forced her assailant to beat her senseless before allowing him access to her body.
Maria Halpin
If Maria Halpin contemplated bringing charges against Cleveland she dismissed them very quickly. In fact, she hoped to get on with her life until five weeks later when it became apparent that she was pregnant. I’m sure she had to swallow some bile to approach Cleveland with the problem. Thinking about his burgeoning career he assured her he would do the right thing and marry her. Now Cleveland had an odd affectation, in his apartment he had pictures of children placed all over his rooms. Despite this somewhat unnatural interest, I may be reading more into this than I should but Lachman planted the seed without expressing his own thoughts on the oddness of the displaying of such pictures, but it does make it equally weird how little interest Cleveland expressed in his own offspring. He was a confirmed bachelor and had mentioned several times that he had no intention to marry, but when his best friend Oscar Folsom had a daughter named Frances his answer changed. ”I’m only waiting for my wife to grow up, “ he told his sister. At the time it seemed an off-the-cuff dodge, which, though a little creepy, was not to be taken seriously.”
Francis Folsom Cleveland, the darling of the nation. She was so popular that her image was even used on campaign posters.
It turns out that it was creepy statement indeed because after he is elected President of the United States he married Frances Folsom. She was 27 years younger than Cleveland and became the youngest First Lady at the age of 21. She replaced Cleveland’s problematic sister Rose. Cleveland regretted appointing his sister almost immediately. Rose was his smart sister, a woman who conjugated Greek verbs when she became nervous. She certainly would not agree with her brother's quote that I used to start this review. Well educated, who after leaving the White House retired back to her books and magazines. She published a novel called The Long Run that received solid reviews and also published a collection of essays called George Eliot's Poetry and Other Studies. She fell in love with a widow named Evangeline Marrs Simpson. Well aware of the ramifications of her sexual preference on her brother’s third bid for the presidency she cooled down her contact with Eve until after he won reelection.
First Lady Rose Cleveland
At age seventy-two she was living in Tuscany with Eve when the influenza epidemic of 1918 broke out. When the people in her village started “dying like sheep” she organized efforts. Separating children from households that were infected and cabling home for help from all her old friends in America. She succumbed to fever as a result of her efforts and was buried in a cemetery on the banks of the Lima River. All I have to say is what a woman.
Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?
The Maria Halpin scandal continued to haunt Cleveland throughout his political life. When he made a run for governor Maria reappeared out of the mist to make trouble for him. At one point with the help of his friends Maria is abducted and incarcerating into a lunacy institution long enough for Oscar Folsom Cleveland, named such after his best friend at Grover’s insistence, can be placed with another family. As a countermeasure and also an attempt to throw a better light on this political liability he insisted that Maria had passed herself around to a group of his friends and because he was the only bachelor he had assumed responsibility for the child. Maria’s reputation is shattered by the Democratic newspaper machine and though later she achieves some distance from her past by changing her name through marriage she is never reunited with Oscar.
Charles Lachman discovered the identity of Oscar Folsom Cleveland which I will not reveal in case there are readers out there that want to read this book and follow in the footsteps of Lachman as he peers through the fog of history, separating the lies from what can be proven. I struggled early on to adjust to Lachman’s workmanlike prose. You won’t find yourself carried away by beautifully constructed sentences, but you will occasionally find yourself with your hand to your mouth covering a gasp of indignation.
Looking at this situation through the long lense of history if Cleveland had simply continued to take care of Maria Halpin and had treated her with respect he certainly would have mitigated the liability to his political career. As it all turned out he did not suffer the consequences of his actions. Interesting to know that his home state of New York elected him the first time, spurned him the second time, and then embraced him the third time, making him the only president to serve his terms nonconsecutive. A bit of trivia that somehow fits a man that on close analysis was a man of his time; and yet, a man with a darkness about him that made him seem such an unlikely man to reach the pinnacles of power.
I also recently reviewed the Scott Miller book about the McKinley assassination McKinley Review
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
Grover Cleveland
President Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland was a Democrat, not of the Democratic Party that we know today. The two parties have actually switched policy orientation more than once. Franklin D.Roosevelt ushered in a new age of Democrats which was the beginning of the erosion of support from the Southern states. Traditionally the South had always been Democrats, but with Lyndon B. Johnson’s civil rights movement decision in the 1960s the South swung to the Republicans. With the election of Ronald “Raygun” Reagan the South firmed up as a reliable voting bloc for the GOP. When Cleveland was running for office in 1884 the Republicans had ruled the White House since 1868 including the hinky election of 1876 when Rutherford B. Hayes(R) lost the popular vote by 250,000 votes to Samuel J. Tilden(D), but after some double-dealing in the electoral college Hayes was declared the winner.
The Splintering of the Democratic Party or in this case eating it's own tail
In 1884 Cleveland’s chances to win the presidency was dim indeed, first of all he was a bachelor; second he was a known to frequent beer taverns where he not only drank a lot of beer, but consumed large gluttonous meals; third he was a draft dodger; and fourth he had an illegitimate child through an act of rape. It sounds like a recipe for a disastrous campaign or ripped from the headlines of one of our more recent elections. Cleveland had spent almost all of his adult life in Buffalo, NY. He’d taken an apprenticeship with a lawyer, passed the bar, and after years of hoisting beer steins with the right people and becoming part of “the good old boys club”. He found himself elected sheriff. Buffalo was a wide open town and for a sheriff with the right connections there was money to be made.
”Buffalo, it was said, had more saloons and taverns per head than any other city in the world. It seemed there was a bar on every corner--more than six hundred saloons for a population of less than 150,000. Sailors, canal hands, and roustabouts working the city’s ports roamed the tenderloin district looking for a good time. Brothels operated in the open seven days a week. Buffalo was a ‘sink of iniquity’ with more ‘social eyesores’ than any other city of its size in America.”
What is really stunning about the city of Buffalo is by 1901 they are the 9th largest city in the nation (as of 2011 they have fallen to 71st) and are awarded the honor of being the host city of the World’s Fair which also tragically became the location for the assassination of President William McKinley.
Cleveland left the sheriff’s office a wealthy man. The pay of the office was legitimately raised through fines and there were plenty of people to penalize. In the time he was a private citizen again, and before he became Mayor of Buffalo was when he met Maria Halpin. She was a shop girl in an upscale department store, valued by the establishment for her elegance, and her ability to speak French. She was a widow with two children trying to keep herself above the poverty line. She was said to be strikingly beautiful. Cleveland had met her a few times in the shop. One afternoon he ran into her on the street, which I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that it wasn’t a meeting of chance, but carefully planned. Maria was on her way to a friend’s house for a party, but Cleveland insisted that she allow him to buy her dinner. She reluctantly agreed. After dinner he walked her home and she allowed him to come up to her apartment, feeling safe because her young son was in the next room; and after all, this was an esteemed gentleman, a respected man of the community. He raped her on her couch. Now the problem with rape in the 1870s was the laws were written by men. Women had no voice in the definition of laws. There was certainly a bias against women in how the laws are written and also a real lack of empathy for rape victims. The general assumption being that the rape wouldn't have happened if the woman had simply been more careful. It was nearly impossible for a woman to prove rape.
”The presumption in the 19th century was that a woman who truly wanted to preserve her honor could repel any rape, unless it was a gang rape. She could use her hands or draw back her legs and physically thwart the insertion of a man’s penis into her body. If the act of sex was consummated during rape, it was because the woman ‘did not earnestly resist it.’
Charles Lachman provides several incidents of rape that were brought before the courts and overturned usually for the reason that the woman simply did not “resist” enough. ”According to the customs of the time, it was fine for a man with normal biological urges to use a ‘certain degree of violence’ when engaging in sex. As the law saw it, even if the woman put up a struggle, that was foreplay.” So basically the law was based on very crude assumptions, one being the woman should not have placed herself in such circumstances to start with. Two she shouldn’t have led the man on in the first place. Three she should have forced her assailant to beat her senseless before allowing him access to her body.
Maria Halpin
If Maria Halpin contemplated bringing charges against Cleveland she dismissed them very quickly. In fact, she hoped to get on with her life until five weeks later when it became apparent that she was pregnant. I’m sure she had to swallow some bile to approach Cleveland with the problem. Thinking about his burgeoning career he assured her he would do the right thing and marry her. Now Cleveland had an odd affectation, in his apartment he had pictures of children placed all over his rooms. Despite this somewhat unnatural interest, I may be reading more into this than I should but Lachman planted the seed without expressing his own thoughts on the oddness of the displaying of such pictures, but it does make it equally weird how little interest Cleveland expressed in his own offspring. He was a confirmed bachelor and had mentioned several times that he had no intention to marry, but when his best friend Oscar Folsom had a daughter named Frances his answer changed. ”I’m only waiting for my wife to grow up, “ he told his sister. At the time it seemed an off-the-cuff dodge, which, though a little creepy, was not to be taken seriously.”
Francis Folsom Cleveland, the darling of the nation. She was so popular that her image was even used on campaign posters.
It turns out that it was creepy statement indeed because after he is elected President of the United States he married Frances Folsom. She was 27 years younger than Cleveland and became the youngest First Lady at the age of 21. She replaced Cleveland’s problematic sister Rose. Cleveland regretted appointing his sister almost immediately. Rose was his smart sister, a woman who conjugated Greek verbs when she became nervous. She certainly would not agree with her brother's quote that I used to start this review. Well educated, who after leaving the White House retired back to her books and magazines. She published a novel called The Long Run that received solid reviews and also published a collection of essays called George Eliot's Poetry and Other Studies. She fell in love with a widow named Evangeline Marrs Simpson. Well aware of the ramifications of her sexual preference on her brother’s third bid for the presidency she cooled down her contact with Eve until after he won reelection.
First Lady Rose Cleveland
At age seventy-two she was living in Tuscany with Eve when the influenza epidemic of 1918 broke out. When the people in her village started “dying like sheep” she organized efforts. Separating children from households that were infected and cabling home for help from all her old friends in America. She succumbed to fever as a result of her efforts and was buried in a cemetery on the banks of the Lima River. All I have to say is what a woman.
Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?
The Maria Halpin scandal continued to haunt Cleveland throughout his political life. When he made a run for governor Maria reappeared out of the mist to make trouble for him. At one point with the help of his friends Maria is abducted and incarcerating into a lunacy institution long enough for Oscar Folsom Cleveland, named such after his best friend at Grover’s insistence, can be placed with another family. As a countermeasure and also an attempt to throw a better light on this political liability he insisted that Maria had passed herself around to a group of his friends and because he was the only bachelor he had assumed responsibility for the child. Maria’s reputation is shattered by the Democratic newspaper machine and though later she achieves some distance from her past by changing her name through marriage she is never reunited with Oscar.
Charles Lachman discovered the identity of Oscar Folsom Cleveland which I will not reveal in case there are readers out there that want to read this book and follow in the footsteps of Lachman as he peers through the fog of history, separating the lies from what can be proven. I struggled early on to adjust to Lachman’s workmanlike prose. You won’t find yourself carried away by beautifully constructed sentences, but you will occasionally find yourself with your hand to your mouth covering a gasp of indignation.
Looking at this situation through the long lense of history if Cleveland had simply continued to take care of Maria Halpin and had treated her with respect he certainly would have mitigated the liability to his political career. As it all turned out he did not suffer the consequences of his actions. Interesting to know that his home state of New York elected him the first time, spurned him the second time, and then embraced him the third time, making him the only president to serve his terms nonconsecutive. A bit of trivia that somehow fits a man that on close analysis was a man of his time; and yet, a man with a darkness about him that made him seem such an unlikely man to reach the pinnacles of power.
I also recently reviewed the Scott Miller book about the McKinley assassination McKinley Review
If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
I also have a Facebook blogger page at:https://www.facebook.com/JeffreyKeeten
December 7, 2024
I first read this book in 2011 and, when running across it on my bookshelves, decided to read it again as I remember really enjoying it....................and I did!
"Ma, Ma, where's my pa? Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha". This was a verse that became popular during the first term of Grover Cleveland's presidency.....it was based on the fact that the unmarried Cleveland had fathered an out-of-wedlock child several years prior to his election to that office.
The author, (who also wrote The Last Lincolns: The Rise & Fall of a Great American Family which I have read, enjoyed and would recommend), provides an interesting look at the machinations of the pro and anti Cleveland camps as they wrestled with the issue which, in those days, could sink a career. Additionally he gives us a look at the extended family of the President(which holds a few surprises), his friends, and his former paramour who was pilloried by the public as a "loose woman" and worse.
There has been doubt cast upon the paternity of the child but the author pretty much puts paid to that controversy although he certainly doesn't go to the extent of labeling the mother in the same manner that was done by the spin doctors of the late 19th century. The fate of the child had been basically unknown for years but the author researched his life and career post-scandal and it is an fascinating tale. This an interesting, well written book that examines a "scandal" that today is basically a small footnote in history.
"Ma, Ma, where's my pa? Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha". This was a verse that became popular during the first term of Grover Cleveland's presidency.....it was based on the fact that the unmarried Cleveland had fathered an out-of-wedlock child several years prior to his election to that office.
The author, (who also wrote The Last Lincolns: The Rise & Fall of a Great American Family which I have read, enjoyed and would recommend), provides an interesting look at the machinations of the pro and anti Cleveland camps as they wrestled with the issue which, in those days, could sink a career. Additionally he gives us a look at the extended family of the President(which holds a few surprises), his friends, and his former paramour who was pilloried by the public as a "loose woman" and worse.
There has been doubt cast upon the paternity of the child but the author pretty much puts paid to that controversy although he certainly doesn't go to the extent of labeling the mother in the same manner that was done by the spin doctors of the late 19th century. The fate of the child had been basically unknown for years but the author researched his life and career post-scandal and it is an fascinating tale. This an interesting, well written book that examines a "scandal" that today is basically a small footnote in history.
August 11, 2016
Grover Cleveland, with his two, non-consecutive terms in office, has the potential to throw off one's presidential reading balance sheet. Lucky for me, dude's got intrigue for miles, and also happened to live in an era when (with the likes of Harper's Weekly, and The Judge in full swing) there was some great political cartoon work.
I got more than a whiff of Cleveland's questionable mating habits from reading The President Is a Sick Man . (After all, I did outline a fairly compelling case for a solid Woody Allen/Soon Yi parallel.) However, in the hands of Charles Lachman, executive producer of tv tabloid show "Inside Edition," the ignominious activity level is ratcheted to a whole new level. In some ways, Lachman fell into the same trap that captured the journalists of Cleveland's time- losing credibility as accusations rolled from the tier of deplorable to that of a degenerate. But for now, let's get the circus started (below, Cleveland as elephant).
Since a fellow obscure president literary aficionado, and the source of the recommendation for this book has already written a pretty great review outlining the major plot points of this Cleveland tale, I'm going to take the liberty of highlighting a somewhat random spattering of the eponymous scandals of this Secret Life.
Ma ma where's my pa? AKA The Maria Halpin Scandal
The rumors are true, Cleveland, in his boozy days as Mayor of Buffalo, fathered an out-of-wedlock child with local "shop girl," Maria Halpin. The act that rendered Maria in the undesirable state of pregnancy, it would appear, occurred with questionable levels of consent. In ye olde late 19th century terminology, Cleveland "managed to seduce" Halpin.
Of course, if you were to ask former Missouri Congressman Todd Akin about this, you might come to the conclusion that there was no way this was a case of "legitimate" rape, as a child was born of the "situation." As you might imagine, Cleveland's detractors wanted to take hold of this story and run with it.
The research journalism that went into this story is outlined in great detail. It seems that even members of the clergy wanted in on this mission, as Rev. Dr. George H. Ball helped publicize the illegitimate child news during the 1884 election. Ball's involvement (and his own activities with the ladyfolk) would later be of great importance in a libel suit Ball filed against the Evening Post which had accused him of "lewd personal behavior."
Little Frank the Child Bride:
There were bits and pieces surrounding Cleveland's bride Frances "Frank" Fulsome, 27 years his junior, that were new to me. For example, while I was aware that Cleveland was executor of the Fulsome estate following his friend/law partner's death (at which time Frances was 11), I did not know that this meant that "Uncle Cleve" became a "legal guardian" to Frances.
Sexuality in the White House:
Cleveland was a bachelor at the time he first took office- a status that was seen as being cause for concern unto itself. Essentially, the logic at the time was that for a man of Cleveland's age not to be married meant he either was a whoremonger, or gay. It also meant that every lady who walked into the White House was a potential paramour.
Before Frances and Grover wed in 1886, Cleveland's sister Rose (aka "Miss Libbie") was acting FLOTUS. And, as it turned out, Rose "enjoyed the company" of the fairer sex (I'll pause here for you to gasp). This was kept under wraps as her visiting lady friend was assumed to be a candidate for her brother's attentions. Rose, being the baller that she was, used her visibility as White House hostess to launch her literary career, and then stepped gracefully away from the limelight to enjoy her life away from some of the scrutiny.
For more on Rose, I highly recommend checking out "Speculating on Presidential Sexuality & the First Lesbian First Lady" at Carl Anthony's presidential pop culture blog.
The Takeaway?
This was a fun one to read (well, listen to). For me, there was something a bit less exciting about having the scandals put out there one after the other in all their glory. In the 30 odd presidential reads I've completed thus far, I love finding these tidbits tucked in amid discussions of tariffs and taxes. You won't learn much about the Cleveland presidencies but you will get more than a sense of the crazy character that was POTUS 22 and 24.
I got more than a whiff of Cleveland's questionable mating habits from reading The President Is a Sick Man . (After all, I did outline a fairly compelling case for a solid Woody Allen/Soon Yi parallel.) However, in the hands of Charles Lachman, executive producer of tv tabloid show "Inside Edition," the ignominious activity level is ratcheted to a whole new level. In some ways, Lachman fell into the same trap that captured the journalists of Cleveland's time- losing credibility as accusations rolled from the tier of deplorable to that of a degenerate. But for now, let's get the circus started (below, Cleveland as elephant).
Since a fellow obscure president literary aficionado, and the source of the recommendation for this book has already written a pretty great review outlining the major plot points of this Cleveland tale, I'm going to take the liberty of highlighting a somewhat random spattering of the eponymous scandals of this Secret Life.
Ma ma where's my pa? AKA The Maria Halpin Scandal
The rumors are true, Cleveland, in his boozy days as Mayor of Buffalo, fathered an out-of-wedlock child with local "shop girl," Maria Halpin. The act that rendered Maria in the undesirable state of pregnancy, it would appear, occurred with questionable levels of consent. In ye olde late 19th century terminology, Cleveland "managed to seduce" Halpin.
Of course, if you were to ask former Missouri Congressman Todd Akin about this, you might come to the conclusion that there was no way this was a case of "legitimate" rape, as a child was born of the "situation." As you might imagine, Cleveland's detractors wanted to take hold of this story and run with it.
The research journalism that went into this story is outlined in great detail. It seems that even members of the clergy wanted in on this mission, as Rev. Dr. George H. Ball helped publicize the illegitimate child news during the 1884 election. Ball's involvement (and his own activities with the ladyfolk) would later be of great importance in a libel suit Ball filed against the Evening Post which had accused him of "lewd personal behavior."
Little Frank the Child Bride:
There were bits and pieces surrounding Cleveland's bride Frances "Frank" Fulsome, 27 years his junior, that were new to me. For example, while I was aware that Cleveland was executor of the Fulsome estate following his friend/law partner's death (at which time Frances was 11), I did not know that this meant that "Uncle Cleve" became a "legal guardian" to Frances.
Sexuality in the White House:
Cleveland was a bachelor at the time he first took office- a status that was seen as being cause for concern unto itself. Essentially, the logic at the time was that for a man of Cleveland's age not to be married meant he either was a whoremonger, or gay. It also meant that every lady who walked into the White House was a potential paramour.
Before Frances and Grover wed in 1886, Cleveland's sister Rose (aka "Miss Libbie") was acting FLOTUS. And, as it turned out, Rose "enjoyed the company" of the fairer sex (I'll pause here for you to gasp). This was kept under wraps as her visiting lady friend was assumed to be a candidate for her brother's attentions. Rose, being the baller that she was, used her visibility as White House hostess to launch her literary career, and then stepped gracefully away from the limelight to enjoy her life away from some of the scrutiny.
For more on Rose, I highly recommend checking out "Speculating on Presidential Sexuality & the First Lesbian First Lady" at Carl Anthony's presidential pop culture blog.
The Takeaway?
This was a fun one to read (well, listen to). For me, there was something a bit less exciting about having the scandals put out there one after the other in all their glory. In the 30 odd presidential reads I've completed thus far, I love finding these tidbits tucked in amid discussions of tariffs and taxes. You won't learn much about the Cleveland presidencies but you will get more than a sense of the crazy character that was POTUS 22 and 24.
October 22, 2021
Now after reading this book AND Grover Cleveland: A Study in Courage, 1933, by Alan Nevins I think I've got a handle on President Cleveland. In my opinion he was an honest politician but in private was an overbearing jerk.
I expected this book to be pop-history. It was not. It was a well written book that used A Study in Courage as a primary source. The author, Charles Lachman, had new historical material to add to his book that earlier biographers didn't have or were disinclined to use. Lachman was quick to point out in the Acknowledgments that his book is not a biography. It is the story of the woman with whom Cleveland had an illegitimate child, Maria Halpin, and other – ahem - foibles.
I expected this book to be pop-history. It was not. It was a well written book that used A Study in Courage as a primary source. The author, Charles Lachman, had new historical material to add to his book that earlier biographers didn't have or were disinclined to use. Lachman was quick to point out in the Acknowledgments that his book is not a biography. It is the story of the woman with whom Cleveland had an illegitimate child, Maria Halpin, and other – ahem - foibles.
October 8, 2024
"A Secret Life: The Lies and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland" is not so much a biography of Cleveland as it is a book that sheds light on a happening in Grover Cleveland's private life when he was a county sheriff in Upstate New York that was hushed over for the remainder of his life and up to the present day. What I can say about this happening in Cleveland's life is that if those who supported his successful campaign for President in 1884 had been unable to keep this story from tarnishing what many knew of Grover Cleveland's squeaky- clean reputation as a man and public servant, perhaps he wouldn't have been elected President at all.
For any reader of this review who is keenly curious to learn about this aspect of Cleveland's life, read this book and come to your own conclusions about Grover Cleveland the man.
I rate "A Secret Life" 5 stars, because the author, in my view, presented a very compelling and credible story from Cleveland's private life that deserves an honest appraisal for anyone who wants to better understand him.
For any reader of this review who is keenly curious to learn about this aspect of Cleveland's life, read this book and come to your own conclusions about Grover Cleveland the man.
I rate "A Secret Life" 5 stars, because the author, in my view, presented a very compelling and credible story from Cleveland's private life that deserves an honest appraisal for anyone who wants to better understand him.
May 1, 2021
TW: Rape
I didn't know much about Grover Cleveland before reading this book and I still really don't.
A Secret Life isn't what I would consider a full biography. It didn't cover really anything about his politics. I have no clue what his Presidency is best known for. This biography is really just about the more lurid aspects of his personal life. Which I guess is to be expected from an author who worked for tv tabloid Inside Edition. I love Inside Edition so no shade but if I want to do a deeper dive into the Cleveland administration I should probably pick up a book by an historian.
That being said, I did learn so things from this book and I think it's an interesting read. We tend to think that our current political atmosphere is the worst of all time but the more books I read about past presidents, the more I realize that politics has always been a dirty vicious game.
So what you may be asking was "the secret life" of Grover Cleveland ?
A lot of drinking and sex with YOUNG women which is whatever but the most important aspect of this book is about Maria Halpin.
Maria Halpin was a young widowed mother who was raped by Grover Cleveland and bore his son. She reported her rape immediately but nobody wanted to believe her or listen to her. She did everything in her power to get justice not only for herself but she wanted her son to be acknowledged and made legitimate.
What she got instead was truly horrific. She was thrown into a insane asylum and her son was sold to a family friend of Grover Cleveland's and they adopted and raised him as their own. Maria Halpin spent the rest of her life being treated like a disgraced woman. She was labeled insane, called a liar and a slut. She was even belittled in her obituary 30 years later.
I gave this book 3 stars and would recommend it to other readers for the reason that it introduced me to Maria Halpin's story. Despite the fact that Maria's rape was over 100 years ago sexual assault survivors are still getting treated like this today. Unfortunately Maria's story will always be relevant because we as a society will never care about sexual assault. We will always shame survivors and blame them or not believe them at all.
If you've been assaulted or if you're triggered by assult than skip this book because Maria's assult is described in detail.
For everyone else I do recommend this book. It's a hard read but I think its important.
I didn't know much about Grover Cleveland before reading this book and I still really don't.
A Secret Life isn't what I would consider a full biography. It didn't cover really anything about his politics. I have no clue what his Presidency is best known for. This biography is really just about the more lurid aspects of his personal life. Which I guess is to be expected from an author who worked for tv tabloid Inside Edition. I love Inside Edition so no shade but if I want to do a deeper dive into the Cleveland administration I should probably pick up a book by an historian.
That being said, I did learn so things from this book and I think it's an interesting read. We tend to think that our current political atmosphere is the worst of all time but the more books I read about past presidents, the more I realize that politics has always been a dirty vicious game.
So what you may be asking was "the secret life" of Grover Cleveland ?
A lot of drinking and sex with YOUNG women which is whatever but the most important aspect of this book is about Maria Halpin.
Maria Halpin was a young widowed mother who was raped by Grover Cleveland and bore his son. She reported her rape immediately but nobody wanted to believe her or listen to her. She did everything in her power to get justice not only for herself but she wanted her son to be acknowledged and made legitimate.
What she got instead was truly horrific. She was thrown into a insane asylum and her son was sold to a family friend of Grover Cleveland's and they adopted and raised him as their own. Maria Halpin spent the rest of her life being treated like a disgraced woman. She was labeled insane, called a liar and a slut. She was even belittled in her obituary 30 years later.
I gave this book 3 stars and would recommend it to other readers for the reason that it introduced me to Maria Halpin's story. Despite the fact that Maria's rape was over 100 years ago sexual assault survivors are still getting treated like this today. Unfortunately Maria's story will always be relevant because we as a society will never care about sexual assault. We will always shame survivors and blame them or not believe them at all.
If you've been assaulted or if you're triggered by assult than skip this book because Maria's assult is described in detail.
For everyone else I do recommend this book. It's a hard read but I think its important.
October 28, 2021
This was a very unusual but enjoyable book. The plot of the book and its story were secondary for me, while the real treasures were details of history in the 1880-1888 span of America's timeframe. The 'scandal' is pretty tame by today's standards but the nuggets of history made it a worthwhile read.
November 20, 2011
I realize that the more I read the less I know. Who ever thought Cleveland had such a dark side? Makes me wonder about all these men we vote into office, how many more have scandals and secrets attached to their names. Interesting, a non fiction book written more as fiction so it was very easy to read.
July 21, 2019
A Secret Life: The Lies and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland by Charles Lachman (Skyhorse Publishing 2011) (Biography). I didn't know anything about former President Grover Cleveland until I read this biography. He holds three distinctions in the presidential pantheon: (1) Cleveland is the only US President elected to serve nonconsecutive terms; (2) he was the sleaziest slimeball to hold the office of President until a foreign power placed Donald “Liar in Chief”/ “Failed President and Suspected Felon”/ “The Illegitimate Usurper”/ “The Orange Imbecile” Trump into office; and (3) as a bachelor president, he installed a lesbian (his sister) as First Lady.
Grover Cleveland fathered an illegitimate child long before running for President but never publicly owned up to it. In those days (the 1880's and 1890's), having a child born out of wedlock was just about the most shameful stain there could be upon one's reputation. To hide the inconvenient fact of the child's birth, Cleveland, who at the time was involved in state and local politics in New York, had the mother seized and thrown into an insane asylum, and he had the child placed in an orphanage and given up for adoption.
When the fact of the birth became public knowledge during Cleveland's first run for the White House, lying about it was the order of the day. The child's mother was publicly vilified as a strumpet, a temptress, and a floozy even though there was not a shred of evidence that she was any of those things. No other President (except for Nixon) has ever lied so consistently or brought such shame to the White House as did Grover Cleveland – at least until Donald “His Accidency”/“Cadet Bone Spurs” Trump came along. Spewing insults and hurling invective against women who have apparently been intimate with the President? Doesn't that sound familiar in 2019?
When reports of Cleveland's illegimate child became public knowledge, his opponents taunted him with this cheer: “Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?” “Gone to the White House. Ha Ha Ha!”
A final interesting fact about Cleveland, who was a bachelor when first elected President, is that he holds the distinction of installing into the White House as First Lady his sister, who became the first more-or-less out-of-the-closet lesbian First Lady. Her paramour even moved into the White House for an extended stay of several months.
This was apparently the only enlightened act of Cleveland's terms in office.
One note about the book itself: the editing was atrocious. There were numerous uncorrected typos sprinkled throughout. The biggest editing screw-up was contained in the book's denouement. This segment covered in exhaustive detail the particulars of a defamation lawsuit which had been filed by a minister who was the first to publicly accuse Cleveland of having a “bastard” child. This portion of the book created unnecessary confusion, for the author couldn't keep straight which party was the plaintiff and which was the defendant.
I'm glad to be finished with this book, but I am more disappointed than ever in the current state of American politics. My rating: 7/10, finished 7/17/19.
Grover Cleveland fathered an illegitimate child long before running for President but never publicly owned up to it. In those days (the 1880's and 1890's), having a child born out of wedlock was just about the most shameful stain there could be upon one's reputation. To hide the inconvenient fact of the child's birth, Cleveland, who at the time was involved in state and local politics in New York, had the mother seized and thrown into an insane asylum, and he had the child placed in an orphanage and given up for adoption.
When the fact of the birth became public knowledge during Cleveland's first run for the White House, lying about it was the order of the day. The child's mother was publicly vilified as a strumpet, a temptress, and a floozy even though there was not a shred of evidence that she was any of those things. No other President (except for Nixon) has ever lied so consistently or brought such shame to the White House as did Grover Cleveland – at least until Donald “His Accidency”/“Cadet Bone Spurs” Trump came along. Spewing insults and hurling invective against women who have apparently been intimate with the President? Doesn't that sound familiar in 2019?
When reports of Cleveland's illegimate child became public knowledge, his opponents taunted him with this cheer: “Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?” “Gone to the White House. Ha Ha Ha!”
A final interesting fact about Cleveland, who was a bachelor when first elected President, is that he holds the distinction of installing into the White House as First Lady his sister, who became the first more-or-less out-of-the-closet lesbian First Lady. Her paramour even moved into the White House for an extended stay of several months.
This was apparently the only enlightened act of Cleveland's terms in office.
One note about the book itself: the editing was atrocious. There were numerous uncorrected typos sprinkled throughout. The biggest editing screw-up was contained in the book's denouement. This segment covered in exhaustive detail the particulars of a defamation lawsuit which had been filed by a minister who was the first to publicly accuse Cleveland of having a “bastard” child. This portion of the book created unnecessary confusion, for the author couldn't keep straight which party was the plaintiff and which was the defendant.
I'm glad to be finished with this book, but I am more disappointed than ever in the current state of American politics. My rating: 7/10, finished 7/17/19.
July 26, 2016
I found myself skimming parts of this book but it was an enjoyable read. As I was reading it, I found myself muttering "the more things change, the more they stay the same."
April 3, 2015
It was nice to discover, when looking for a book to read about Cleveland, that I had two choices that were recent, and promised relatively new discoveries about the subject! I intentionally chose this one because it was somewhat sensationalistic, and I figured it would be a change of pace from the typical presidential biography. It delivered there.
There are some complaints about the author's sources, which for the most part I disagreed with - endnotes seem to be the accepted thing these days, and the sources generally seemed to pass the sniff test.
Certainly Cleveland is an interesting figure. He went from lawyer to mayor to governor to president in less than 2 years. He's the only president to serve non-consecutive terms. At the age of 49, he married a woman of 22- that's right, 27 years younger- who he had known from birth. This wasn't much less shocking than the allegations of rape to a modern reader.
The book itself is okay, but not great. It has it odd moments, like when Lachman "helpfully" explains: "(At that time, queer meant “odd,” not “homosexual,” just as gay would have meant “carefree.”)." Also, Lachman's coverage of the Ball trial is confusing with what seem to be outright errors, like this where the defense rests and then begins their opening statement:
Often my complaint about presidential biographies is that they focus on the presidency to the exclusion of the life of the president- this book had the opposite problem. Here's the entire sum of the political landscape of his presidency as presented in the book:
This is probably the most "endearing" bit about Cleveland (assuming you can get past all the creepiness of his personal life):
There are some complaints about the author's sources, which for the most part I disagreed with - endnotes seem to be the accepted thing these days, and the sources generally seemed to pass the sniff test.
Certainly Cleveland is an interesting figure. He went from lawyer to mayor to governor to president in less than 2 years. He's the only president to serve non-consecutive terms. At the age of 49, he married a woman of 22- that's right, 27 years younger- who he had known from birth. This wasn't much less shocking than the allegations of rape to a modern reader.
The book itself is okay, but not great. It has it odd moments, like when Lachman "helpfully" explains: "(At that time, queer meant “odd,” not “homosexual,” just as gay would have meant “carefree.”)." Also, Lachman's coverage of the Ball trial is confusing with what seem to be outright errors, like this where the defense rests and then begins their opening statement:
That was all. Moot rose and announced that the defense rested. It had taken only one afternoon to present the evidence. Moot had not even called Ball to the stand. His strategy had been daringly straightforward: The articles published in the Post and The Nation spoke for themselves. No further evidence of libel was necessary.
John Milbank’s partner, Franklin Locke, gave the opening statement for the defense.
Often my complaint about presidential biographies is that they focus on the presidency to the exclusion of the life of the president- this book had the opposite problem. Here's the entire sum of the political landscape of his presidency as presented in the book:
His administration restored good feelings between North and South. He successfully opposed adoption of the silver standard, and many credit him with rescuing the nation from bankruptcy. He also stood firm against British imperialist designs in South America by embracing the broadest possible definition of the Monroe Doctrine. His was one of the most eventful peacetime presidencies in American history. In reviewing the hapless line of presidents who followed the martyred Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Lamont offered an interesting summary. For Andrew Johnson there was sorrow, for Grant scandal, for Hayes humiliation, for Garfield death, and for Arthur unpopularity. As for Cleveland, Lamont had this uncomplicated observation: “Herculean toil.”
This is probably the most "endearing" bit about Cleveland (assuming you can get past all the creepiness of his personal life):
Cleveland gave his aide a wan smile. He wondered how he had lost his home state.
Lamont frankly replied, “I do not know.”
All Cleveland could do was laugh. He thought he had the answer: “It was mainly because the other party had the most votes.”
November 8, 2011
I really enjoyed this book. Important people in history sometimes are shrouded in glamour and mystery. This can make them seem superhuman or...super boring. The author of this extremely well researched book made President Cleveland come alive, however, not in a good way. I guess political scandals and sexual peccadilloes are not a modern invention. However, despite the fact that I REALLY could not like the man, I did find him human, interesting and seemingly modern.
I found his grooming of his future wife extremely creepy. I think the claims of Maria Halpin are a bit disingenuous. As much as I wanted to continue to dislike this schnook, I couldn't quite picture a reason why she'd invite him back to her rooms. Women then were much more cautious of their reputations, even without the thought of physical harm, of which women today are made so aware.
I recommend this book. Great history, interesting politics and juicy scandal. What's not to like?
I found his grooming of his future wife extremely creepy. I think the claims of Maria Halpin are a bit disingenuous. As much as I wanted to continue to dislike this schnook, I couldn't quite picture a reason why she'd invite him back to her rooms. Women then were much more cautious of their reputations, even without the thought of physical harm, of which women today are made so aware.
I recommend this book. Great history, interesting politics and juicy scandal. What's not to like?
January 12, 2024
grover cleveland was an awful awful guy. this book was very interesting and held my attention for someone that doesn’t normally read non-fiction. i recommend it if you want to know how awful of a human being he was and how history regards him so differently.
August 4, 2012
What an incredible book. Before reading this, I had never given Grover Cleveland much thought. Why would I? He was an unexceptional president, and was essentially glossed over in history class.
After reading this book, I believe he was the most vile man to ever occupy the White House. First of all, I find it completely disgusting and immoral that he married Frances Folsom, the daughter of his late best friend. He had known her since birth, watched her grow up, and she called him Uncle Cleve. One can only imagine the lewd thoughts he entertained of her as she grew up. How old was she when he became sexually attracted to her?
But his marriage to Frances pales in light of what he did to poor Maria Halpin. He raped her in a day and age when a "successful" rape was considered to be the woman's fault, because if she truly didn't want to have sex with her attacker, she would have fought much harder. She was a ruined woman. Then, six weeks later, she discovers that she is pregnant. When she gives birth, her son is stolen from her, and after numerous attempts to regain custody of him, Cleveland has her committed to an insane asylum. When the press discovers the story, Cleveland manages to completely discredit Maria, and amazingly, he is elected President not once, but twice.
Grover Cleveland makes current political scandals involving Bill Clinton and John Edwards look innocent in comparison. Despite cheating on their wives, at least their sexual adventures were consensual. Poor Maria not only suffered through the trauma of being raped, but was crucified in the press as an alcoholic, a horrible mother, and a harlot. It makes me wonder how many other women may have been attacked by Cleveland; it certainly wasn't a period of time when victims had much hope for justice by reporting their attack, and in fact, were likely to be blamed for it.
This was an enlightening, enjoyable read (and best of all, was obtained for free through Amazon Prime). The 4 star rating is not based on the content, but rather on the somewhat awkward writing style which was at times distracting. I felt that the tone was often too casual for a history book, but admit that I prefer a casual style to the pretentious language often found in history books.
Definitely read this book; it will forever change your opinion of this mediocre, often forgotten, immoral president.
After reading this book, I believe he was the most vile man to ever occupy the White House. First of all, I find it completely disgusting and immoral that he married Frances Folsom, the daughter of his late best friend. He had known her since birth, watched her grow up, and she called him Uncle Cleve. One can only imagine the lewd thoughts he entertained of her as she grew up. How old was she when he became sexually attracted to her?
But his marriage to Frances pales in light of what he did to poor Maria Halpin. He raped her in a day and age when a "successful" rape was considered to be the woman's fault, because if she truly didn't want to have sex with her attacker, she would have fought much harder. She was a ruined woman. Then, six weeks later, she discovers that she is pregnant. When she gives birth, her son is stolen from her, and after numerous attempts to regain custody of him, Cleveland has her committed to an insane asylum. When the press discovers the story, Cleveland manages to completely discredit Maria, and amazingly, he is elected President not once, but twice.
Grover Cleveland makes current political scandals involving Bill Clinton and John Edwards look innocent in comparison. Despite cheating on their wives, at least their sexual adventures were consensual. Poor Maria not only suffered through the trauma of being raped, but was crucified in the press as an alcoholic, a horrible mother, and a harlot. It makes me wonder how many other women may have been attacked by Cleveland; it certainly wasn't a period of time when victims had much hope for justice by reporting their attack, and in fact, were likely to be blamed for it.
This was an enlightening, enjoyable read (and best of all, was obtained for free through Amazon Prime). The 4 star rating is not based on the content, but rather on the somewhat awkward writing style which was at times distracting. I felt that the tone was often too casual for a history book, but admit that I prefer a casual style to the pretentious language often found in history books.
Definitely read this book; it will forever change your opinion of this mediocre, often forgotten, immoral president.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 23, 2016
As others have indicated, this is not a book to read if you want to learn about Grover Cleveland's time as president. While I realize this wasn't the focus of the book, I was still disappointed that the author didn't give at least a cursory view of his presidency. I was intrigued by the apparent disconnect between Cleveland's personal ethics and those he brought to office as mayor of Buffalo and governor of NY, where he tirelessly went after cronyism and graft. I was eager to find out if he was able to carry this same reform to Washington, but the book didn't give any indication.
That being said, I can't help but give the author tremendous credit for delving in to a topic that has been a mere footnote in most discussions of Grover Cleveland. As the author discusses toward the end of the book, Cleveland's widow's close involvement with his first biographers led to an obvious downplay of the incident, and subsequent biographies tended to follow the lead of those early narratives. Lachman turns on its head the commonly accepted story that "... Cleveland began a brief relationship with a widow, Maria Crofts Halpin, and later assumed responsibility for supporting her and a child born at the time." I have to credit the author with finally bringing light to Halpin's side of the story.
In terms of the book itself, there were some choices that I found strange (such as giving elaborate back stories on virtually every single individual mentioned in the book, even those whose roles were larely inconsequential). There were also some pieces of the story that were presented in a way that seemed confusing and incomplete. However, although the narrative was a bit choppy at the start of the book (in my opinion), about a third of the way in it became a real page-turner (although admittedly, this is in comparison to more traditional biographies of Grant and Garfield that I recently finished).
So if you're looking for a comprehensive Cleveland biography, this isn't for you. If you want to read a fascinating take an the dark hidden life of a former US president, this is highly recommended!
That being said, I can't help but give the author tremendous credit for delving in to a topic that has been a mere footnote in most discussions of Grover Cleveland. As the author discusses toward the end of the book, Cleveland's widow's close involvement with his first biographers led to an obvious downplay of the incident, and subsequent biographies tended to follow the lead of those early narratives. Lachman turns on its head the commonly accepted story that "... Cleveland began a brief relationship with a widow, Maria Crofts Halpin, and later assumed responsibility for supporting her and a child born at the time." I have to credit the author with finally bringing light to Halpin's side of the story.
In terms of the book itself, there were some choices that I found strange (such as giving elaborate back stories on virtually every single individual mentioned in the book, even those whose roles were larely inconsequential). There were also some pieces of the story that were presented in a way that seemed confusing and incomplete. However, although the narrative was a bit choppy at the start of the book (in my opinion), about a third of the way in it became a real page-turner (although admittedly, this is in comparison to more traditional biographies of Grant and Garfield that I recently finished).
So if you're looking for a comprehensive Cleveland biography, this isn't for you. If you want to read a fascinating take an the dark hidden life of a former US president, this is highly recommended!
September 15, 2015
Fascinating. Last year, I read "The President is a Very Sick Man" about the secret cancer surgery that Grover Cleveland had at the beginning of his second term. It casually mentioned that he survived the scandal of an illegitimate child. So, this is a book just about that sandal. Another fascinating story about a President I really knew nothing about, except that he wrecks all the numbers because his terms are not successive. it was a great airplane book.
January 29, 2015
An excellent work concentrating on the Marie Halpin affair, although I would have liked to have read more about his policies to highlight the man's obvious hypocracy! Excellent
February 2, 2012
The editor of this book should be ashamed.
January 28, 2018
Continuing my study of less-than-admirable men of the late 1800s (just finished the Henry Ward Beecher biography). Grover Cleveland and Beecher are easy to compare: both treated women like lap dogs put on earth for man’s convenience. The Lachman book is not a biography of Cleveland, but a recounting of the Marie Halpin affair. She’s the woman GC probably raped, left pregnant and stuck into an insane asylum after sending a couple of thugs to grab her child. All the men of the day (and biographers since) managed to turn the affair into a celebration of GC’s honorable actions in admitting to the “indiscretion” and taking responsibility while claiming he was probably not the father. Lachman makes a strong case that Maria was railroaded, and GC was not the man of integrity that he was held up to be. But The book reads like a gossip magazine: the author ascribes feelings and reactions to and creates dialog for the characters as if he were writing a novel, which I think undermines his credibility — it feels like fiction. But it’s fairly well documented, though I read through several newspapers from 1884 trying to find his source and couldn’t find it. Lachman is a producer for Inside Edition, which may account for the Reality-TV flavor. (He also wrote The Last Lincoln’s: The Rise and Fall of a Great American Family, which I take exception to.). But in this #MeToo era, this book resonates.
September 18, 2021
If you're looking to see another side of America history, this might be a book for you. It's important to realize that history is messy and you can learn from the bad parts as well as the good. It's not a full biography but is an examination of the worst thing Grover Cleveland ever did and its after effects.
So once again I find my education was one-sided. I was taught the Cleveland side of his illegitimate child. We were never given Maria Halpin's side: Cleveland raped her, he tried to have her committed as a drunk, and she was pressured to give up her child by Cleveland and her family. When the story broke during the presidential campaign Cleveland insisted his followers "tell the truth". They then proceeded to claim she was sleeping with at least 4 men and Cleveland accepted responsibility since he was the only bachelor in the lot (heavily implied that the actual father was his dead best friend who was also the father of Cleveland's eventual bribe). It was a sign of his character that he paid support for the child that probably wasn't his. The preacher and newspaper that broke the story were also destroyed for daring to suggest Cleveland wasn't great.
Infuriating thing #1: Americans are more than willing to overlook the vilest personal conduct in a politician if that politician promises what they want. Cleveland was actually a great candidate who was pro-reform and anti-machine. He was running against a man who had probably taken a bribe. People heard he was a rapist and just didn't care. Instead of looking for the best people, politics often boils down to trying to pick the lesser of two evils. We can and should demand better.
Infuriating thing #2: Even today Cleveland and many others would believe his truth was The Truth. No respectable woman would be alone with a man. It wasn't rape because she didn't fight back hard enough. How dare she expect marriage from a man so far above her status. The fact she was an unwed mother was proof enough she was unfit to be a mother. Her drinking outside a social setting proves she was a drunk. Oh and Cleveland liked to drink beer as a young man so I'm fairly sure he was also one of those guys who thought he never lost control no matter how much he drank. Again we can and should demand better.
So once again I find my education was one-sided. I was taught the Cleveland side of his illegitimate child. We were never given Maria Halpin's side: Cleveland raped her, he tried to have her committed as a drunk, and she was pressured to give up her child by Cleveland and her family. When the story broke during the presidential campaign Cleveland insisted his followers "tell the truth". They then proceeded to claim she was sleeping with at least 4 men and Cleveland accepted responsibility since he was the only bachelor in the lot (heavily implied that the actual father was his dead best friend who was also the father of Cleveland's eventual bribe). It was a sign of his character that he paid support for the child that probably wasn't his. The preacher and newspaper that broke the story were also destroyed for daring to suggest Cleveland wasn't great.
Infuriating thing #1: Americans are more than willing to overlook the vilest personal conduct in a politician if that politician promises what they want. Cleveland was actually a great candidate who was pro-reform and anti-machine. He was running against a man who had probably taken a bribe. People heard he was a rapist and just didn't care. Instead of looking for the best people, politics often boils down to trying to pick the lesser of two evils. We can and should demand better.
Infuriating thing #2: Even today Cleveland and many others would believe his truth was The Truth. No respectable woman would be alone with a man. It wasn't rape because she didn't fight back hard enough. How dare she expect marriage from a man so far above her status. The fact she was an unwed mother was proof enough she was unfit to be a mother. Her drinking outside a social setting proves she was a drunk. Oh and Cleveland liked to drink beer as a young man so I'm fairly sure he was also one of those guys who thought he never lost control no matter how much he drank. Again we can and should demand better.
January 24, 2018
Grover Cleveland has a rather unique place in American history as the only US President to serve 2 non-consecutive terms in office being our nation's 22nd and 24th President. With "A Secret Life: The Lies and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland", Charles Lachman takes a closer look at this particular person in American history who after reading this biography this reader has a completely different opinion of. The book itself surrounds the scandal of a woman named Maria Halpin who would be the mother of an illegitimate child of the future President which was conceived in act that today would constitute rape, but in 1874 could've been interpreted either way. Lachman's story goes through the various phases of Cleveland's life & at times spends a little too much focused on Maria Halpin & the scandal involving the birth of her son as well as the implications for her especially involving the cover-up. It's also interesting to note how dirty the election of 1884 was with neither candidate really deserving the White House due to moral issues w/ both candidates. Overall, though, Lachman keeps to the narrative of things save glossing over the majority of Cleveland's 2nd term & does give we the reader the guide to what happened to all players involved. It's an interesting look at a President from an era where there aren't a lot of good things to remember on in US history.
January 7, 2022
As the title suggests, this is not a standard biography of Grover Cleveland nor a history of his administration and policies, but rather focuses on one scandal he was involved in, the sexual assault of Maria Halpin before he became president. As such, the author delves into detail of sordid events that don’t directly impact history of that time period. Thus, this secret history dwells on the long-lasting political impact that a scandal can have and how party politicians dealt with it in the later 1880s. What he did was wrong and Cleveland should probably have gone to jail for it but in the 1880s world of wealth, power, and politics it was covered up. Certainly the 1884 presidential campaign was probably one of the dirtiest, nastiest up to that time. The Republican candidate Blaine was no choirboy but neither was Cleveland. As the author says, “A Secret Life should not be seen as a biography of Cleveland but, rather, as a story of the Maria Halpin scandal.” He goes on to say, “With A Secret Life, we finally get a look at this woman who I believe has been terribly disparaged in history.” He also notes that historians/biographers have mostly written a “whitewashed” version of Cleveland’s life. So finally, over one hundred years later, the story of President Grover Cleveland has been completed. An interesting read.
April 27, 2020
By turns intriguing and tedious (but mostly the latter), A Secret Life tells the reader everything he wants to know, and everything he doesn't want to know, about the life of the 22nd/ 24th president of the United States. Much of this would have been better handled by a seasoned historian, which Lachman is not. For one thing, the author is never quite sure what he wants to accomplish. Is this a biography of Grover Cleveland? Is this an account of the sordid tale of an assaulted woman, her subsequent pregnancy and childbirth, and the efforts of the villain to cover up the rape for the rest of his days? Lachman cannot seem to decide, but he makes the reader wade through events both cogent and ephemeral while he slogs to his finale. In the process, anyone even remotely tangential to the life of President Cleveland or his victim receives a short biography, complete with physical description down to hair color, facial characteristics, and height ("size, color, frequency"). Well before halfway through, it becomes too much. Yes, Mr. Lachman, you did your research. But in your efforts to show it off, you've devised a stew-pot of both valid and trivial events, dulling all effect.
May 1, 2020
A Secret, Scandalous Life
Who would've thought that a book on Grover Cleveland would be so interesting? The title was intriguing and this book certainly delivered. Author Lachman did extensive research and introduces his secret illegitimate son. A background in the future President kicks things off. After learning of his home life and striking out on his own, we meet the lovely lady Maria Halpern. Her story is a sad one, but she had her detractors. After becoming pregnant with Cleveland's son, the child is taken from her multiple times, given to a family desperately in need of funds, while she is committed to an insane asylum, but later released. After being vilified in the press, she attempts to set the record straight. The few who come to her aid are villified. Cleveland endures and becomes the first president to marry in the white house and to serve two non sequential terms in the White House. Filled with juicy details, it does read more like a novel than history book and it kept my interest. I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audiobook. Narration by Joe Barrett was serviceable and fit the book. Much better than you think.
Who would've thought that a book on Grover Cleveland would be so interesting? The title was intriguing and this book certainly delivered. Author Lachman did extensive research and introduces his secret illegitimate son. A background in the future President kicks things off. After learning of his home life and striking out on his own, we meet the lovely lady Maria Halpern. Her story is a sad one, but she had her detractors. After becoming pregnant with Cleveland's son, the child is taken from her multiple times, given to a family desperately in need of funds, while she is committed to an insane asylum, but later released. After being vilified in the press, she attempts to set the record straight. The few who come to her aid are villified. Cleveland endures and becomes the first president to marry in the white house and to serve two non sequential terms in the White House. Filled with juicy details, it does read more like a novel than history book and it kept my interest. I read this book using immersion reading while listening to the audiobook. Narration by Joe Barrett was serviceable and fit the book. Much better than you think.
September 15, 2021
Since I have been diving into US Presidential Biographies I have found that they are either: a. interesting but poorly written; b. boring AND poorly written; c. boring but well-written; or d. fascinating and engaging with above average writing. I have yet to find one that is fascinating and written by an author with a rare talent for exceptional writing.
Although Lachman claims this is not a biography of Cleveland, but a story of the woman he wronged, I feel like it was very biographical of Grover Cleveland AND very engaging with well above-average writing.
I like this a lot. Politics haven't changed much since the early 1900's - men in power tend to abuse their power and lying seems to be tolerated in politics. While he may have been a decent president, the fact remains that he was a rapist and a liar.
A man that was against woman's rights and clearly a womanizer throughout his life. Twice elected to non-consecutive terms, Cleveland made history for being a decent peace-time president while his indiscretions were swept under the rug.
Over 100 years later, we're still seeing this gross behavior among our leaders.
Although Lachman claims this is not a biography of Cleveland, but a story of the woman he wronged, I feel like it was very biographical of Grover Cleveland AND very engaging with well above-average writing.
I like this a lot. Politics haven't changed much since the early 1900's - men in power tend to abuse their power and lying seems to be tolerated in politics. While he may have been a decent president, the fact remains that he was a rapist and a liar.
A man that was against woman's rights and clearly a womanizer throughout his life. Twice elected to non-consecutive terms, Cleveland made history for being a decent peace-time president while his indiscretions were swept under the rug.
Over 100 years later, we're still seeing this gross behavior among our leaders.
September 25, 2019
Overall enjoyed the book. As someone who likes Grover Cleveland, this was an interesting man and President but like all men he was flawed. This book focuses on Cleveland's illegitimate child that he had during his law career. The most interesting thing was how the media of the day was able to cover up the incident which would point to Cleveland's questionable character but showed something even more impressive that history had continued to use the Democrat's obfuscation of this issue as the truth and for over a century the general public had used the partisan view of Cleveland as his actual history. I think this is a book worth reading to think about how these things would work in our modern era and would the modern partisan news be able to influence our thinking rightly or wrongly.
August 6, 2023
I would not normally intentionally set out to be interested and read this book. However, another book referenced this one, so I downloaded a sample and it hooked me.
As an avid history lover, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not because of the title (…the lies and scandals), yet because the story of Maria Halpin and Grover Cleveland’s child was sealed so to speak and protected and now is out full disclosure.
I also had zero frame of reference for the man Grover Cleveland and this book provided it, even taking out the Halpin and child portion of the story. He paid $300 for someone to take his place in the union in the civil war, had blatant disregard for many, overindulged in food, drink, etc. among other things. Read it and enjoy it. It is worth a read.
As an avid history lover, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not because of the title (…the lies and scandals), yet because the story of Maria Halpin and Grover Cleveland’s child was sealed so to speak and protected and now is out full disclosure.
I also had zero frame of reference for the man Grover Cleveland and this book provided it, even taking out the Halpin and child portion of the story. He paid $300 for someone to take his place in the union in the civil war, had blatant disregard for many, overindulged in food, drink, etc. among other things. Read it and enjoy it. It is worth a read.
June 23, 2025
3*
read hard cover
a bit slow and choppy to start as it was very detailed in the beginning, but then a large focus on the Maria Halpin affair (rape), the subsequent child, his first election, and then his relationship with Frances Folsom. There was a bit of heavy attention to the libel trial, but no more scandals listed after that. as a result, there's not really much to the book about his second term and later life. The epilogue was very interesting.
There were some interesting choices made - I felt the book was too detailed with several very minor figures. The last quarter of the book felt like a slog with the exception of the epilogue. I think a good editor could have fixed this.
Still a worthwhile read if you are interested in presidential history.
read hard cover
a bit slow and choppy to start as it was very detailed in the beginning, but then a large focus on the Maria Halpin affair (rape), the subsequent child, his first election, and then his relationship with Frances Folsom. There was a bit of heavy attention to the libel trial, but no more scandals listed after that. as a result, there's not really much to the book about his second term and later life. The epilogue was very interesting.
There were some interesting choices made - I felt the book was too detailed with several very minor figures. The last quarter of the book felt like a slog with the exception of the epilogue. I think a good editor could have fixed this.
Still a worthwhile read if you are interested in presidential history.
January 23, 2019
Just when you thought you know everything there was about Grover Cleveland (and you certainly did, didn't you?) Charles Lachman delves into the sordid details of the Halprin affair or more precisely the rape of Maria Halprin. This is the first book I've read that really tries to trace the actions of all the actors after the election of 1892. Mr. Lachman, an executive produce of Inside Edition, puts on his investigative reporter hat on and digs deep. A fascinating book that I finished in two days.
April 6, 2019
I was fascinated with this book on Grover Cleveland. There is so much to compare in this story to our current administration in the White House. The scandals. The cover ups. The hated of the press. The party ignoring all the scandals in order to put their man in the White House at any price. It just goes to show how little we learn from history and how we repeat the same mistakes over and over. Grover Cleveland is a fascinating character and Charles Lachman has done a masterful job researching and telling the story.
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