Grover Cleveland

The American Presidents #22

by Henry F. Graff

A fresh look at the only president to serve nonconsecutive terms.

Though often overlooked, Grover Cleveland was a significant figure in American presidential history. Having run for President three times and gaining the popular vote majority each time -- despite losing the electoral college in 1892 -- Cleveland was unique in the line of nineteenth-century Chief Executives.

In this book, presidential historian Henry F. Graff revives Cleveland's fame, explaining how he fought to restore stature to the office in the wake of several weak administrations. Within these pages are the elements of a rags-to-riches story as well as an account of the political world that created American leaders before the advent of modern media.

Genres: Presidents, Biography, History, American History, Nonfiction, Us Presidents, Politics

176 pages, Hardcover

First published August 20, 2002

Reviews

[robin friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Integrity and Stolidity In An American President

This short book is part of "The American Presidents" series edited by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. The series devotes a short volume to the life and accomplishments of each American President. The books in the series can be read quickly, and each gives the reader an overview of the life and accomplishments of an important American figure. It is a worthy goal to encourage people to get a working understanding of our presidents and part of an attempt to reeducate Americans about their country and government. The series, Schlesinger states in his introductory note, will "give readers some understanding of the pitfalls and potentialities of the presidency and also of the responsibilities of citizenship".

Professor Graff's short study of the life of Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) fulfills the aim of the series. The book consists of a brief biography of Cleveland and covers his youth, his public (and some of his private) life before he became president, his two presidencies, and his life in retirement. The accomplishments of each of his two nonconsecutive terms (making Cleveland both the 22nd and the 24th president) are summarized, if briefly.

As do most writers who have studied Cleveland, Professor Graff finds his strength in his integrity and common sense. He was able to persuade his fellow Americans, both before and during his presidency of his honesty. Cleveland was a President without charisma and an uninspiring public speaker. He regretted his entire life his lack of a college education, and his career shows something of a discomfort with new ideas or new approaches. Yet, he was able to turn these traits, together with his own strengths into advantages. He proved a capable and inspiring President.

Professor Graff does not engage in hero-worship. If anything, I thought that he somewhat undervalued Cleveland and his accomplishment. He describes some aspects of Cleveland's presidencies which seem to run counter to the picture of Cleveland as a reformer and as given to complete probity and openness.(For examples, Graff discusses the abrupt dismissals of many Republican civil servants at the outset of his terms and the secret operation on Cleveland's jaw which was held on a ship offshore to conceal it from the public at the beginning of Cleveland's second term.) Yet Graff finds much to admire in Cleveland in his hard work, acknowledgement of his illegitimate child, financial probity, and Civil Service reform. Graff praises Cleveland for his refusal to support the annexation of Hawaii when its queen was overthrown under dubious circumstances. Cleveland restored public faith in government at a time when it was sorely lacking. I think he was the first President who could be described as attempting to govern by principles that he believed were both "conservative" and "compassionate." In this he is an inspiration whose goals, if not all his specific decisions, could be followed and expanded upon.

This book is not a complete study of Grover Cleveland but it succeeds well in giving the reader a sense of his accomplishment. The reader who wants to learn more might read Allan Nevins', "Grover Cleveland, A Study in Courage" (1944) which remains the standard biography of Cleveland.

Robin Friedman

[Bill Kerwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I have to admit it. If I hadn’t promised myself I’d read every volume of Times Books’ “The American President’s Series,” I would never have read this biography of Grover Cleveland. I had the hunch that—given the little I knew about Cleveland—he was a stuffy and cautious president, and I also had a hunch that Henry F. Graff—the author of this book—would be a stuffy and cautious historian too.

You know what? I was right. On both counts.

First of all, let us speak of Cleveland. He was an able chief executive, as far as I can tell, acquitting himself respectably as Sheriff of Erie Country, Mayor of Buffalo, Governor of New York, and President of the United States, but his definition of “chief executive” was an extremely narrow one—a definition he shared with other post-bellum presidents, intimidated as they were by the specter of Lincoln, the failure of Reconstruction, and the growing power of the robber barons of the Gilded Age.

A story that ably sums up Cleveland’s idea of governance comes from his tenure as mayor of Buffalo

When a proposal was introduced to use five hundred dollars from the city’s Fourth of July fund in order to celebrate the new Decoration Day holiday honoring the Civil War dead, Cleveland refused to permit such a shift of money. I would violate public’s intention, he maintained. It was not that he opposed the celebration of Decoration Day. Indeed, he put himself at the head of a group to raise funds to mark it.

“The child is father to the man,” and—in Cleveland’s case at least—the mayor is father to the president too. It is lamentable to watch the major upheavals of the Cleveland era (1885-1889, 1893-1897)—including the Haymarket Riot, the march of Coxey’s Army, the Panic of 1893, the Pullman Strike and others—and see Cleveland only as a minor player: tinkering with the gold standard, adjusting the tariffs, issuing muted warnings about the growing wealth gap, calling on his buddy J.P. Morgan to rescue the economy,etc. (I couldn’t help thinking of the United States today: as climate change reaches a crisis, Trump waste time with his wall).

Let us now speak of our author, Henry F. Graff. A respected professional historian, he wrote the definitive work on practical scholarship (The Moderrn Researcher, with Jacques Barzun), he is known for his series of middle school and high school textbooks (The Free and the Brave: the Story of the American People and American, the Glorious Republic), and he was chosen by Lyndon Johnson to observe The Tuesday Cabinet, otherwise known as the president’s council of war.

Graff, inclined to see the best in presidents, lets Grover Cleveland off easy (I suspect he let Johnson off easy too). This becomes obvious in his treatment of Cleveland's paternity scandal (that prompted the Republican opposition to shout, “Ma! Ma! Where’s my pa?”) In this biography, written in 2002, Graff takes Cleveland’s explanation at face value: he was one of at least three prominent Buffalo men who enjoyed Maria Halpin’s favors, and he—being the only single man among these three friends—honorably took responsibility for the pregnancy.

Maria Halpin—whose account of the affair I found elsewhere, who kept a ten-year silence until the matter became an election scandal—tells a different story: she asserts that Cleveland, the sheriff of Buffalo at the time, who forced himself upon her and bullied her into silence, was the only possible father of her child.

Me, I’m inclined to believe the woman. At the very least, I wish Graff had included her account in his biography. (And, no, I’m not likely to read The Tuesday Cabinet. Not unless I read The Ellsberg Papers first.)

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book Thirty-Four of my Presidential Challenge.

Thank goodness for Grover Cleveland. His two nonconsecutive Presidential terms is the reason this challenge is only 43 books long and not 44. Odds are if you know anything about Cleveland, this little nugget is the only fact you know.

Is there anything else you should know? Probably not. The most interesting fact, this book doesn't really cover. In "The President is a Sick Man" by Matthew Algeo, they discuss the cancerous tumor discovered in Cleveland's mouth, the secret surgery he then had on his friend's yacht, and the fact that none of this came out until after Cleveland's death. Unfortunately, in this book, that story is barely touched upon even though it sounds very interesting.

Cleveland had the misfortune of being President at a time when the press was finally beginning to realize that maybe they should cover the President's personal life. This was all well and good for Benjamin Harrison who was a boring, religious guy (until he married his niece. Look it up people.) But Cleveland was a notorious drunk and womanizer who married a woman almost 30 years his junior. He didn't know why the press couldn't just mind their own business. Oh, to live in such a time.

Fun Facts:
- Cleveland rocked a mustache when most guys had beards.
- He looks exactly like Rush Limbaugh...but with a mustache.

So yeah, he was a boring President at a boring time. Someday I will read "The President is a Sick Man" however. It can't be more boring than this was.

[Doreen Petersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding biography! Grover Cleveland was a unique and complex man. This book is well worth reading!

[Frank Stein · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brief and efficient biography of one of America's forgotten Presidents. Yet, as Henry Graff shows, for many years the laconic Grover Cleveland was at the center of American political life. His rise from being the son of a poor and sickly Presbyterian minister, who died just before Cleveland had the chance to attend college, to being sheriff and then mayor of Buffalo, New York, provided an inspiration to many. As sheriff and mayor Cleveland said little, but promised always to "Tell the truth," and fought against corruption, political skullduggery, and raids on the public fisc. When as sheriff he had to execute convicted felons, he dropped the rope himself, leading his opponents to view him as a murderer, but his friends to claim he always did his duty. His victory in the 1884 presidential race made his political rise one of the fastest in the nation's history.

As President, he vetoed the most bills of any President to his time, kept the budget tight, and tried to fight against the oppressive tariff. Although he lost to Benjamin Harrison in 1888, his new wife, Francis, told the White House staff that they would return in four years, and so they did. When back, Cleveland became even more conservative, protecting the gold standard with JP Morgan's help and sending troops against striking railwaymen, but he continued to stick to his principles, despite some public outrage. He later retired to Princeton, where he got in a fight about that college's future with the man who would become the only other Democratic President in the period between the Civil War and the Great Depression, Princeton's young and activist Woodrow Wilson. The Princeton fight, although a seeming footnote to history, perfectly demonstrates Cleveland's place as a transitional figure in the transformation of Democratic Party, a party that was moving from more conservative to activist.

Nothing much surprising here, but it's a solid story well-told. This Presidents series again lives up to its fine reputation.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable introduction that made me more interested in learning about ol Stephen.

[Ben Truong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grover Cleveland is the twenty-second book in The American Presidents series – a biographical series chronicling the Presidents of the United States. Henry F. Graff wrote this particular installment and edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

Stephen Grover Cleveland was an American politician and lawyer who was the twenty-second and twenty-fourth president of the United States, the only president in American history to serve two non-consecutive terms in office (1885–1889 and 1893–1897). He won the popular vote for three presidential elections in 1884, 1888, and 1892 and was one of two Democrats (with Woodrow Wilson) to be elected president during the era of Republican political domination dating from 1861 to 1933.

After serving as mayor of Buffalo and governor of New York, Cleveland was the first Democrat to be elected president after the Civil War. He forced America's railroad titans to return 81,000,000 western acres previously granted by the federal government and regulated them with the Interstate Commerce Act. Although defeated in the Electoral College by Benjamin Harrison in 1888, Cleveland won the popular vote, which set the stage for his return to the presidency in 1892 in the midst of nationwide depression.

Cleveland acted decisively. He repealed the inflationary Sherman Silver Purchase Act and, with the aid of Wall Street, maintained the Treasury's gold reserve. When Chicago railroad strikers violated an injunction against further disruption, Cleveland dispatched federal troops. Cleveland's no-nonsense treatment of the strikers stirred many Americans, as did the way he forced Great Britain to accept arbitration of a disputed boundary in Venezuela.

However, many of Cleveland's hard-hitting policies during the depression proved unpopular in the long term and in 1896, his party nominated William Jennings Bryan for the presidency.
Grover Cleveland is written rather well. In clean, matter-of-fact prose, Graff sums up the plainspoken Cleveland as a man of action and uncompromising integrity – a man who, though publicly identified as the father of an illegitimate child, nevertheless restored dignity to the office of the president in the wake of several weak administrations.

All in all, Grover Cleveland is a good, albeit brief biography of the twenty-second and twenty-fourth president and it is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series of presidential biographies, which I plan to read in the very near future.

[Starbubbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was short, concise, and shed a lot of light on a president I only knew the name of. Things I learned:
*he is the only president to serve 2 nonconsecutive terms.
*he was a self-taught lawyer and was pretty successful
*he would rather do something himself poorly than let someone else do it well
*he might disagree with someone but he would never publically undermine that person
*he married his best friend's daughter that was like 27yrs his junior (I still find it creepy that he married someone he helped raise and was considered an uncle)
*he was for a transparent government and worked to eliminate excess and corrupt practices wherever he could.
*he fought against tamney hall politics and won
*he performed executioner duties while sherriff
*was governor of NY
*the Baby Ruth candy bar was named for Cleveland's daughter, Ruth.
*you could pay someone to take your place in the draft for the Civil War
*he got us on the gold standard
*he opposed America being an imperialist power.

I learned a lot about him for a like 4 or 5 hr audiobook!

[Steven Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, approachable biography of our 22nd and 24th President. From the epilogue: “Cleveland lives in the national memory today almost exclusively as the president who had two nonconsecutive terms of office. He deserves a better fate, for he was once revered by millions of his contemporaries for genuine merits, especially integrity.... The public understood that what the nation required, above all, was not brilliance but the cleansing honesty and straightforwardness that he provided.... he exuded sincerity and decency. No one ever doubted what he meant or where he stood.” This would be an excellent lesson for today’s politicians to remember.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

To his credit, Mr. Graff makes no attempt to glamorize the quotidian issues of post-Civil War politics or the dullards who navigated them. To his debit, Mr. Graff makes no attempt to glamorize the quotidian issues of post-Civil War politics or the dullards who navigated them.

[Alissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cleveland is an interesting character who served non consecutive terms.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want great detail on the presidents, this book series, "The American Presidents," will not be for you. If, however, you would like to get better introduced to some of the Presidents with some quick reads, this series could be very attractive. "Grover Cleveland," written by Henry Graff, is one book in the series. At the outset, I will say that this is a nice introduction to Grover Cleveland; if you want lots of detail, though, this book will not be for you.

That said, this is up to the usual dependable quality of works in this series. The book begins by placing the Cleveland family in context (e.g., I had never guessed that one of Cleveland's predecessors was a founder of Cleveland, Ohio, after whom the city was named!). The story of Cleveland's political career began in earnest when he served as Mayor of Buffalo, NY. This served as a launching point for his accession as Governor of New York. In the latter role, he distinguished himself as a "reformer."

After that, as a result of a confluence of events, he was nominated for President as a Democrat. While running for office (not that candidates did much in the way of campaigning), it came out that Cleveland may have fathered a child out of wedlock. Indicative of Cleveland's reputation, when asked what his "handlers" should do, he said, "Tell the truth." Rather refreshing!

Once elected, he served as a competent president, with some accomplishments in his first term. He was defeated when he ran for re-election, with Benjamin Harrison ousting him from office. However, four years later, he was re-elected to serve the White House. There were many challenges in his second term, some beyond his control. There was also the medical problem that was kept from public eye.

The book winds down by talking of his life after the presidency. This 138 page volume gives a nice glimpse of Grover Cleveland, his presidency, his times, and his accomplishments. For what it is, it does well. Recommended for those who want a brief introduction to the presidents generally and Cleveland specifically.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 2002, the late Historian Henry F. Graff published a political biography of Grover Cleveland in The American Presidents series. Similar to other books in The American Presidents series, Graff’s biography of Cleveland is short, effective, and well-researched. I read the book on my Kindle. This book includes a Timeline. Unlike the other books in the series, I have read so far, the timeline at the end of this book mixes personal events from the life of Grover Cleveland with national and international events (151-153). Graff’s book has a “Prologue” (4) that introduces themes and the focus of Cleveland’s biography. Due to Cleveland becoming president for two non-consecutive terms, the reader maybe should read Charles W. Calhoun’s political biography of Benjamin Harrison, published in 2005. Benjamin Harrison was the president from the election of 1888 and 1892 (Graff 152). Grover Cleveland’s reelection in the 1892 election was in response to what happened in Benjamin Harrison’s administration (Graff 115). Interestingly, one of the ways that the memory of Grover Cleveland lived in the memories of many Americans and maybe people aboard remember Grover Cleveland is because the candy bar Baby Ruth is named after his first daughter (Graff 104-105; Omt5044 2019). This book includes a Selected Bibliography. Graff's biography is a well-done introduction to the political biography of Grover Cleveland. On a side note, Steve of the blog, My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies has excellent reviews of several of The American Presidents series biographies.
Work Cited:
Calhoun, Charles W. 2007. Benjamin Harrison. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Omt5044. 2019, January 24. “Wow, Baby Ruth-History of Candy.” Penn State. Accessed on August 23, 2022. Wow Baby Ruth | History of Candy (psu.edu)

[Tom · Rating 3 out of 5]

President Cleveland is probably the least well known of the two term presidents likely because his tour of duty coincided with the Gilded Age when congress took on a great deal of power and the executive was left with limited opportunities to stamp his personality on the country.

This is a light and easy to read biography of a fascinating man and those interested in a more detailed analysis should look elsewhere.

President Cleveland heralded in a new era of politicians and a new age for America and acted ably in a time of great change in the political landscape. When he won his first time the country was beginning the transition to industrialism and gloabalism. By the time he finished his second term, 12 years later, the movements were well under way and the country was a vastly changed landscape.

He lived his life by an internal code of honor and although he was a poor speaker was respected by almost all parties. He and Franklin Roosevelt are the only two men in US history to win the popular vote in three or more presidential elections.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quit. Grover Cleveland was a boring person who was a boring President. His death was probably boring but I don't know cause I didn't finish this.

[William Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this President to be very interesting! In the current rankings by historians, Cleveland come in at number 23. His greatest attribute was integrity. He was also a man who many thought, "would not rock the boat." The Democratic Party and the Republican Party supported the anti-Chinese sentiment and Cleveland reflected the prejudices of his times. The author, Professor Henry F. Graff mentions that the Pendleton Act and other legislation took away the source of funding for both parties of soliciting spoils system jobholders, essentially changing them for their employment, the party bosses turned to the leaders of industry for money to fund campaigns! In his inaugural address, Cleveland called for "rigorous enforcement of immigration laws so as to exclude, "a servile class [natives of China] to compete with American labor, with no intention of acquiring citizenship, and bringing with them and retaining habits and customs repugnant to our civilization" (Graff, p. 72). Sounds a little harsh today except for recent previous administration rhetoric. Cleveland was the last President to not provide working space in the White House for the media. He also refused to attend the Gridiron Club Dinner, the only President to do so until recent times! He was not very supportive of veterans and went fishing on Decoration Day. Decoration Day became Memorial Day by law in 1967. A significant quote by that reflected his view of government is: "Though the people support the government, the government should not support the people" (Graff, p. 84). He was defeated for reelection by Benjamin Harrison. However in four years, Cleveland was called again to serve and was elected President. His is to date the only President to serve two separated terms in office. Cleveland supported the Gold Standard, did not support the annexation of Hawaii and was no supporter of farmers or the working man. It is surprising that he was elected twice!
This is another in the American Presidents Series edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr until his death now by Sean Wilentz. Times Books, Henry Holt and Company is the publisher. I recommend the series to all readers.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few months ago, I decided to start reading presidential biographies. My goal is to cover all the presidents, one per month. Marty V (The Little Magician) was April, Andrew Jackson was May, and John Q Adams was June.

That brought me to the centerfold, Grover Cleveland, in July. The biggest thing I knew about Grover heading into this book was being the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms (he was #22 & #24). The biggest thing I now know is that Grover was BIG. He tipped the scales at 300 lbs.

One quote that stuck out came from Edward Stuyvesant Bragg (think Fort Bragg). He said of Grover, "...they respect him not only for himself, for his character, for his integrity and judgement and iron will, but they love him most of all for the enemies he has made."

Grover was also Mayor of Buffalo (1882) and Governor of NY (1883). He never played nice with Tammany Hall and was considered extremely honest and strove to clean up the party machine corruption.

His first child, Ruth, died before her 13th birthday (1904). Her nickname lives on in the candy bar, Baby Ruth.

Unless you are planning on reading about all the presidents too, you can probably skip Grover Cleveland. Just grab a Baby Ruth bar and eat it alone, under the harsh glare of a single light bulb.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps one of the least pretentious men to serve in the Oval Office, he was also one of the most passive and stingy- and in neither a principled or practical, Coolidge-esque way. Claiming to stand for the Everyman, but refusing to help him in many times of need, Cleveland spent his first term as the “referee” president, accomplishing largely nothing of his own. He limited his scope to failed tariff reforms; vetoing legislation designed to help farmers, veterans, and workers; and protecting businesses. Fairly unremarkable- even his predecessor, and much less remembered President in history, Chester Arthur, was more accomplished and honorable in hindsight in my opinion.

Cleveland’s second term was much of the same; promises of helping the working man with no action to back it. Cleveland is remembered for his integrity and honesty, and while that may have been true of him personally, it seems politically he didn’t walk the walk. He did stand by convictions of hastening an imperialist push, which I’ll give him credit for.

The biography itself, like all entries in the series, is far too short to really dive deep, but was a good entry to the presidency of Cleveland.

[Josh Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not knowing a lot about President Cleveland before reading, I learned quite a bit. This book is a good introduction into the life of Stephen Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. The son of a humble preacher, Cleveland grew up without much formal education. Moving to Buffalo, he attended law school, and eventually found himself working for a law firm there. In time, he would spend time as the Mayor of Buffalo, then as Governor of New York. Later, the uninspiring and often monotonous Cleveland garnered his party's nomination for President of the United States in three consecutive elections, winning the presidency in 1884 and 1892. In his post-presidential life, Cleveland continued to be active, writing and working as an insurance executive. Most humbling, however, was his dedication to his wife and children-a sharp contrast to his life before the presidency. Give this book a read and learn about one of America's oft-forgotten chief executives.

[Chandler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a solid book about our 22nd and 24th president. In terms of the book itself, I have to say that I found it somewhat dull, but perhaps that has as much to do with Cleveland himself, as the text. Cleveland’s presidency is one of those that is not terribly memorable, as he was one of those who did not do very much with the power he had, letting Congress dictate the agenda for the terms he was in office.

On a side note, I listened to this on audio and found it to be odd in terms of production. The narrator seemed out of place, having a serious voice that would work in a spy-action thriller, but not in a presidential biography. Also, in a weird stylistic choice, they begin and close every chapter with flute music. It seemed out of place to me, as I wondered why they chose such a light tune and sounding instrument juxtaposed with the serious voice of the narrator.

In either case, this book is good, but not one I will remember in a week. I give it a two out of five.

[Zach · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of the Democrats during this period is an interesting one. Was he pro-slavery? Pro civil rights? I'm unsure but he was anti-war and anti-imperialism. Definitely not a raging racist like the other Democrat in the time frame (Wilson). Anyways I find it interesting because the Republican's were trouncing the Democrats for a quite a while and the edge Cleveland had was he was fiscally responsible... Make your own conclusions on how things have changed or should I even say that Cleveland was conservative on finances?

Anyways that was the good fodder that this book gave to me and I am grateful. This book by Henry Graff had a real good part of the book and it was basically the end. The rest of it bored me to tears to be honest. I don't remember what I read... slackwater politcs am I right?

Anyways 3 stars.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finished the book. But I did start to skip over sections because I got bored and overwhelmed with who was in what office in which term of Cleveland's presidency. Graff kept praising Cleveland for his integrity and honesty. But...he married a woman almost 30 years younger than he was, he was vastly overweight, he may have drunk too much, he paid for a child he may or may not have fathered, and I kept thinking there were more stories I was not reading.

I guess it makes me feel better about the present political situation and our chances of surviving this administration.

Oh, and he was elected without a popular majority but with the electoral college in his favor. Twice. The fact most folks would highlight about Grover Cleveland--he was elected twice but not consecutively.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

For such a short book it's amazing how little there was about Cleveland himself. Hard to say if the author is such a generalist he preferred to paint a picture of the times around Cleveland's life or if there is scant record to go on about the man. in 137 pages maybe 20 could have been used for the parts actually about the 22nd/24th president. Mostly it was vestigial details about events that didn't seem that important, awkward and rushed transitions from phases of life to the next and lots and lots and lots of clever little phrases and idioms. I feel like I need to read another book to find out what the guy actually did as president to have anything more to say other than fun trivia facts. 

[Mona Ammon · Rating 2 out of 5]

TITLE: Grover Cleveland
WHY I CHOSE THIS BOOK: It is part of my quest to read a book about every American President
REVIEW: I do not remember much about this book now. I should have taken notes. This is part of the American Presidents series, so a fairly slim volume. It gets the essentials down. Not a bad president but not a great president. He meant well. He had some good ideas: tried to lower the tariff, and reign in railroad conglomerates. Believed in limited government which can be a double edge sword.

[Ocean G · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, concise book about a rather uninspiring president. The first democrat in the white house since Buchanan, prior to the civil war. Probably best known for serving two non-consecutive terms.

Some interesting tidbits:
One of his daughters, Ruth, died young, but Baby Ruth candy was named after her.
Built a house in a park North of the White House, now it's Cleveland Park.
The city, Cleveland, was named after his ancestor.
The whole story of the tumor in his mouth and having it removed in secret on a boat seemed fascinating.
He was against taking possession of Hawaii.

[Houston · Rating 3 out of 5]

He was uninspiring in a good way in that he held to his principle that public officials should be focused on helping the people, not themselves. He was the 1st (& maybe only?) of our Presidents to get married in the White House (to Frances, 27 years his junior). He was President during dark days in our nation's past; a lot of political & business corruption & hard economic times.

Underrated President right here.

Read my more detailed report on Grover Cleveland including some more fun facts! @ www.ilovethepresidents.com

[Bob Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most of the books of this series, it is a dry account with little insight into the times of this president. It reads like a collection of newspaper clippings.

The author held Cleveland in high regard, but didn’t delve deeply into his character. Unlike the previous book I read which focused on the apparent scandal of an illegitimate child, this book dealt with the issue in about two pages. Perhaps the truth was somewhere in between.

The presidents in this era seemed to be pawns to the parties and elite who seemed to really be in charge.

[Ray Rioux · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Henry F. Graff does a great job of summarizing the life and political career of Grover Cleveland. From neat tangents such as the city of Cleveland (formerly Cleaveland, same of the family name of the President) having connections to Grover's ancestor to the famous candy bar 'Baby Ruth' being named for the President's tragically deceased daughter to real historical items like Cleveland's rise in the Democratic party and how quickly he was seen as passe. This is a good, easy, and quick read that gives a good introduction to the 22nd and 24th President of the United States.

[Sean Macmillan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Presidential read. It's amazing how much of what Grover Cleveland dealt with in his time are things we are dealing with now. Immigration (albeit Irish & Chinese flooding the workplace), tariffs, wage gap issues, veterans of the Civil War to name a few. To date, he'll mostly be remembered for being the only president to have served non-consecutive terms. There's so much more than that he dealt with though.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more of an overview of Grover Cleveland's life than a biography. It does not go into a lot of detail about much, but does try to give perspective about things that happened in his life relative to the time he lived in.

It does gloss over Cleveland's troubling and creepy relationships with women, which is problematic.

There is also a lot of presidential trivia in this book about several presidents and the resolute desk.