Grover Cleveland: A Study in Courage

American Political Leaders

by Allan Nevins

Grover Cleveland - Biography

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

832 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

Allan Nevins was an American historian and journalist, renowned for his extensive work on the history of the Civil War and his biographies of such figures as President Grover Cleveland, Hamilton Fish, Henry Ford, and John D. Rockefeller.

Reviews

[Elyse · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you enjoy reading about American trade tariffs and the gold standard during the 1880's-90's than this is the book for you! No? Me neither. But I now get to check off one more US presidential biography on my presidential reading list.

As compensation for my struggle (I read every word; no skimming) I am going to allow myself to read the melodramatic and sensational biography A Secret Life: The Lies and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland by Charles Lachman. I figure if I read one scholarly book (this one won the Pulitzer prize for Biography in 1933) and one lurid and gossipy book, I'll get a balanced opinion of the man. Then again, maybe not. ;-) After I dust my hands of Grover I will back up and read about Benjamin Harrison. I gathered from A Study in Courage that Grover Cleveland spent most of his time in a boat fishing between his first and second terms.

[Aaron Million · Rating 2 out of 5]

Volume II of Allan Nevins' study of Grover Cleveland picks up with Cleveland leaving office (the first time) after being defeated in the electoral college by Benjamin Harrison in 1888. Cleveland seemed happy to be leaving, seemingly not having much enjoyed being President. At this time, he did not anticipate returning four years later, despite what his much younger wife Frances thought. She was prophetic though, and 1892 saw a rematch of the Cleveland-Harrison contest, this time with Cleveland emerging triumphant and returning to the White House in March 1893 for a second, non-consecutive term.

Nevins organizes this volume topically, while slowly moving forward in time. In foreign affairs, while Cleveland did not have a war to deal with, he did have many problems that helped full his plate. One was the possible annexation of the Hawaiian Islands. Cleveland was anti-imperialist in nature and personally opposed the U.S. taking control of the islands permanently. There were two problems with that however. One, he inherited a bad situation from Harrison, with a rogue and overzealous minister, John Stevens, who gave much support to the overthrow of Queen Liliuokalani. Without bogging down in detail, the political situation on the island was a mess. Cleveland did not help himself as he had a mostly muddled Hawaiian policy, unsuccessfully trying to thread the needle between keeping Hawaii within American protection (even back then Pearl Harbor was viewed as a critical naval base for the U.S.) but not actually owning the islands themselves. Cleveland ultimately punted it to Congress to decide. Nevins viewed this as Cleveland being courageous by holding out against the war-mongers and imperialists. This seems to me to be a charitable view. Foreign relations clearly (within limits of course such as declaring war and obtaining ratification of treaties, not to mention funding) falls within the sphere of the Executive per the Constitution, so kicking the can down Pennsylvania Avenue really was no solution at all.

Cleveland also faced issues with Britain over a Venezuelan boundary, and with Spain over Cubans attempting to revolt against Spanish rule. Cleveland was much more successful on the Venezuela front, getting the issue to arbitration. With Cuba, he was cautious - rightly being concerned about possibly invoking a war with Spain. Cleveland later on was decidedly unhappy with his successor, William McKinley for going to war with Spain over Cuba and the Philippines.

Cleveland also faced labor unrest. His big test was the 1894 Pullman sleeping porter strike in Chicago. Cleveland, acting on the bad advice of his Attorney General, Richard Olney, sent federal troops in and created an issue as the strike had mostly been peaceful until that time. Olney had a career in big business and acted like it here, providing solid support to the Pullman Palace Car Company. Nevins criticizes Olney at length, but gives Cleveland a pass for placing him in his Cabinet to begin with. Nevins even admits that Cleveland's Cabinet was collectively not very good. Well, whose fault is that?

Cleveland made a hash of his Supreme Court nominations as well. He had nominated William Hornblower of New York. Hornblower had a strong resume, but a crucial Senator (David Hill) disliked him, largely thanks to Hornblower previously investigating Hill for public corruption. Essentially, Hill was able to kill Hornblower's nomination, and this was partly because Cleveland was asleep at the wheel and failed to rally any Senators to Hornblower's defense. Cleveland alienated the chairman of the Judiciary Committee by not even contacting him about the vacancy. Nevins, in his theme from the title, considers Cleveland courageous in making a strong nominee for the Court, but this assertion is undone by his inept handling of the nomination process.

But the main issue confronting Cleveland was that of currency. A necessary evil of reading about this time period (which I otherwise find fascinating thanks to all of the modern marvels such as electricity being developed) is to get caught up in the fight over bimetallism and sound currency. The country was sectionally dividing over which system of currency to use. The East, where the financial powers resided, was strongly for remaining on the gold standard. But the South, and especially the West, was strong for silver. Some people wanted both. Others wanted paper currency. Some wanted a bit of everything. Quite honestly, it was hard to follow here. Nevins was not good at providing context, either with this issue or most of the others that Cleveland encountered. But here it was easy to get lost. This can be some dense stuff, and when Nevins sleepwalks through the repeal of the Silver Repeal Act, it was a slog to keep going. Unfortunately for Cleveland, the Democratic Party was also dividing over this issue, and as his term went on, he lost control of the party. By the time of the 1896 Democratic Convention, he was openly repudiated by a large swath of the delegates. While Cleveland did not want a third term, there is no way he would have gotten the nomination had he wanted to remain in office. Cleveland was a staunch gold man, but his party steadily gravitated towards silver. This culminated with the nomination of the populist William Jennings Bryan, whom Cleveland could not stomach. He actually wanted McKinley to beat Bryan, though he did not dare say so publicly.

Nevins covers but does not dwell on Cleveland's secret mouth operation in the summer of 1893. He offers no criticism of Cleveland deceiving almost everyone (most members of his own Cabinet even did not know what was going on, assuming like the rest of the country that Cleveland had went on a fishing excursion). While Nevins does occasionally offer criticism of Cleveland, it is things such as this that lower the book's overall quality for me because he is too pro-Cleveland. How does he think that it is fine that Cleveland disappeared for a serious operation, and kept everyone in the dark about it? There is an overall lack of critical analysis about Cleveland and his administration. This even extends to trying to remember who is who, as Nevins frequently will introduce a new character without even providing a first name. Of course, Nevins notes the birth of Cleveland's second daughter, but neglects to mention her name!

There are some good parts to the book though. The chapter on the Pullman strike was actually quite good. Unlike the currency chapters, Nevins did provide appropriate context here and kept the narrative flowing smoothly. He was also good at showing just how Cleveland affected the situation. Nevins also provides a few chapters on Cleveland's life post-presidency, when he takes up residency in Princeton, NJ. Unlike many biographies, especially older ones such as this (Nevins was writing this in the early 1930s) he does not rush to get to the end of Cleveland's life. Rather we see what Cleveland kept himself occupied with. Unfortunately, Cleveland's family does not figure prominently into the book, being relegated to brief occasional mentions.

Finally, Nevins did teach me a new word: hegira (page 590). Hegira means a dangerous journey that is taken to escape a bad situation. A book that teaches me a word cannot be all bad. I wish there had been more about Cleveland the person, his family, and better context for some of the serious issues that he faced while in office.

Grade: D+

[Judy Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have just finished chapter 24 of Nevins' Grover Cleveland: a study in Courage. Harrison has been elected, and Cleveland is returning to private life, though those of us now with the advantage of hindsight know it is only a respite. Nevins' book was first published in 1932 and is sometimes seen in two volumes, but in keeping with the chronology of the presidents, I will now put this aside for Harrison and will return when he has been defeated in 1892. Many who have reviewed this work have found its literary style dated. I actually rather liked his style. I found his descriptions interesting and his word choices enlightening. Occasionally his use of gerunds as subjects would force me to reread a sentence or two, and one particular chapter had me looking up a quite few words, but I'm certainly glad to expand my vocabulary. I particularly appreciated that he would give simple clear backgrounds to topics introduced. I have found in reading some of the tomes on presidents that the writer assumes that, since you are reading his scholarly work, that you are well-verse in all of the events happening at the time. I am especially tripped up when it comes to the economic issues, and have found that my Econ 101 class taken some 45 years ago has not provided me with all of the ins and outs of economic issues. Prior to Nevins' take on the silver standard, my only understanding was in seeing the Wizard of Oz as an allegory! This volume was not a dry account of the politics of the time, but an attempt to draw a picture of a man who would be president.
Prior to this reading, Cleveland was known to me as the only president to date to have served non-consecutive terms. I like the man. He was not brilliant, he did not function as a trailblazer who would lead the country with new ideas. He was a bit of a plodder, his mind's workings perhaps matching his physical size. As Nevins wrote, "Already there was something monumental about the man. He had his evident defects; he was slow, unimaginative, and narrow, and there seemed nothing about him that could be touched into incandescence. But these were after all the defects of his qualities. It is had to find rock-like strength without a certain admixture of rock-like inertia." (just a taste of Nevins' style which I have enjoyed.) Cleveland was a hunting and fishing enthusiast who like to drink beer and would never back down from a fight for what he thought was right, characteristics which served him well as mayor of Buffalo in its somewhat wild untamed early years. But he came to the game of politics at a time when it seems as if corruption and winner take all, to the detriment of the country, was the norm. Starting as mayor of Buffalo, serving as governor of New York, and continuing as president, Cleveland seemed truly dedicated to doing what was right for the people. I think that is why so many Republican Mugwumps were drawn to this first Democratic party president since prior to the Civil War. He was like a rock, standing solidly on what he thought was right: the need for reform relating to the spoils of office and the tariff issue (for which he was correct, but perhaps his lack of brilliancy in handling it might have cost him the election in 1888.) Voters were tired of politics as politics. Blaine represented the same old stuff, the continuation of corruption in the top post of the land. The irony was that while Blaine was corrupt politically, but personally "moral", for lack of a better term, Cleveland had possibly fathered a child out of wedlock (he never denied the possibility, but was never proven unequivocally to be the father, he just shouldered a responsibility that could have possibly been), but as to his political integrity, he was the staunchest of men. The voters seemed to have added their amen to what G W Curtis said, "Mr Blaine has been delinquent in office but blameless in private life, while Mr. Cleveland has been a model of official integrity, but culpable in his personal relations. We should therefor elect Mr. Cleveland to the public office which he is so well qualified to fill, and remand Mr. Blaine to the private station which he is admirably fitter to adorn."
The group Chicago thought that America needs Harry Truman, but I think America needs another Grover Cleveland, a man who was committed to doing what he thought was right for the country, not just what he wanted for his particular polarized extreme. I think that some republicans thought that Trump was just such a man, someone who would break through the SSDD. However, Trump doesn't seem to have appealed to any Democratic version of the Mugwumps, but has instead simply further antagonized the left, leaving us centrists quite alone in the middle.

I remember when Monday Night at the Movies (long before cable TCM, Netflix, or Roku) choose to bring Gone with the Wind to TV. The movie is so long it had to be stretched over 2 nights. Monday night featured the grace and beauty of the antebellum South, with Scarlet bewitching everybody's beaus, the romance of the beginning of the Civil War, and the epic scene of Rhett and Scarlet barely escaping Atlanta burning. On night two, however, the war has devastated Tara and the rest of the south, a poverty-stricken Scarlet wears a dress fashioned out of old drapes (Carol Burnett's parody is a hilarious must-see), Scarlet's father dies, baby Bonnie dies, Melanie dies, and Rhett finally doesn't give a damn! Reading Nevin's book in two parts is a bit like that. The book is still, in my opinion, a great read. However, Cleveland's second term was not an easy go, for him or the country, and I wonder how many times Cleveland wished that he had simply stayed retired!
The votes of 1892 had an unprecedented option: never before (or since) had the electorate been given the choice of two knowns, as both Cleveland and Harrison had track records as president. Politically the nation seemed to have been in a constant upheaval in the 80s and the 90s, partially due to the economics of the times. The Fifty-First Congress enacted several laws that had dire effects.on the flow of money: the government was forced to buy silver that could then be refunded for gold (much of the gold flowing out of the country) and the gold reserves were shrinking. Tariffs were so high that consumer The Depression of 1893 was in full swing, national anxiety was running high, and the voters seemed to be reacting, at least with the federal legislature, by ping-ponging back and forth, voting out whatever party was in the majority at the time. The country, still healing from a war between the north and south began dividing again...along a new fissure line demarcating gold and silver standard with many democrats (especially Southern and Western) staunchly on the silver side. Cleveland won the 1982 election because many republicans liked his hard line of the gold standard, but in doing so, he fell out of favor with his own party. He had to work hard to overturn some of the laws enacted during Harrison's presidency, and he did not have the strong legislative or his party backing to help. The gold reserves had plummeted several times to dangerously low levels, and bonds had to be issued to bail out the government, exacerbating the class conflict. To add to the internal strife, events including trade agreements, improved travel and communications were threatening the American isolationism. The need for coaling stations in the Pacific began to make Hawaii look enticing, and there began a push for annexing it, for which Cleveland was opposed. Throughout all of these events, Cleveland continued to stand firm for what he thought right. He would be ever true to what he believed was the Democratic way. Even when WJ Bryan, the silver standard spokesman who stirred with working class hatred of the wealthy, was nominated as the Democratic candidate in 1896, Cleveland would not denigrate the party's choice publicly, though he did work behind the scenes to support a move that would siphon Democratic votes from Bryan. Cleveland was not an imaginative leader; nor was he a particularly charismatic person, but he had a bulldog tenacity, akin to that of Winston Churchill during World War II, that helped steered the ship through choppy waters.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://bestpresidentialbios.com/2014/...

Allan Nevins’s “Grover Cleveland: A Study in Courage” was published in 1932 (now often in two volumes) and is the 1933 winner of the Pulitzer Prize in biography. Nevins was a journalist, prolific author and professor of history at Columbia University. Nevins died in 1971 at the age of eighty.

With 766 pages of text, this biography proves comprehensive, scholarly and extremely detailed. The breadth of the author’s knowledge of Cleveland and his era is breathtaking and I can hardly imagine a more thorough or thoughtful review of this former president.

Published twenty-four years after Cleveland’s death, this biography benefits from a chronological proximity to its subject but lacks the perspective which can only be derived from the passage of time. Some bias in favor of Cleveland is clear and in the end Nevins overestimates the durability of Cleveland’s legacy and lasting impression.

Despite the biography’s age and tendency toward a slightly dated writing style it provides more moments of sheer genius and wisdom than most of the presidential biographies I’ve read so far. The text is frequently punctuated with witty and piercingly insightful historical observations that make this a unique and worthwhile reading experience.

If Nevins offers a pervasive underlying theme it relates to Cleveland’s “courage” which manifested itself in a dedicated stubbornness and refusal to yield to opposing forces – irrespective of prevailing political winds. Unlike most politicians of any generation, Cleveland remained ardently committed to his fundamental beliefs and seemed to care little about his enduring popularity with voters.

The most frequent criticism of the biography (and just one of the reasons it is not more widely read) is that it is simply too long. For the average (non-academic) reader, the biography would be more enjoyable if stripped of 100-200 pages. This could have been accomplished by a ruthless editor without losing much of the book’s essence.

A more potent critique is that the text frequently dives too deeply into certain topics, leaving the non-historian occasionally dazed and disinterested. As committed as I was to learning about the Cleveland presidencies, I thought I might perish if forced to spend more time with the tariff or silver-purchase policy issues.

Nevins also spends relatively little time focused on Cleveland’s personal life. There would appear to have been plenty of interesting material to draw from: Cleveland was a bachelor when elected president and later married a far younger woman. He had five children, some of whom must have been interesting, and there are rumors he fathered an illegitimate child earlier in life. But the reader just gets to know the business-only politician.

Overall, Allan Nevins’s “Grover Cleveland” is an extremely valuable and detailed survey of Grover Cleveland’s life. At its best this biography is fantastic: uniquely insightful, surprisingly clever and very well-written. But in frequent stretches the narrative drags tediously as it investigates one policy issue or another. Fortunately, this biography’s excellent moments compensate for its shortcomings and Allan Nevins’s biography of Grover Cleveland is well worth the reader’s time.

Overall rating: 3½ stars

[Brent Ecenbarger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Coming into this book, the only detail I remembered about Grover Cleveland was that he is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms in office. The introduction drew some strong comparisons between George Washington and Grove Cleveland, and with as much as I loved Washington I was totally on board for this 800 page book to convince me that the greatest president was hiding in historical obscurity. Now that I’ve finish that book (which took me a month and a half to get through), I can say Mr. Cleveland sir, you are no George Washington.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Cleveland had pretty good moral character and was a steady hand in office. However, the thing Washington did was, well a whole bunch of important stuff. Cleveland didn’t do much in his career, despite being president twice. Seriously, in a book that worshipped its subject, even the author struggles to come away with a legacy of things that he accomplished.

He restored honesty and impartiality to the government… He planted deep in the American mind the idea that the special privilege and the interference with free economic life which the bloated protective system represented ought to be abolished… In a period of unparalleled stress and confusion, his invincible determination alone saved the nation from abandonment of the gold standard… Finally, by his treatment of the Nicaraguan, Hawaiian, and Venezuelan problems he taught the American People that in their handling of foreign affairs conscience aught always be the dominant force. Pg. 766

I just read a whole book about this guy and I still have trouble following those first two accomplishments. Here’s how I have Cleveland stacking up in my presidential rubric.

Born Into – Cleveland’s dad was a Puritan minister. Grover had eight brothers and sisters and his dad died while he was a teenager. Cleveland went to work in an asylum for blind, left after one year. All of that sounds like a guy who pulled himself up by his bootstraps without a leg up on the world. But then he went to Buffalo where his uncle Lewis Allen became his benefactor. In exchange for a few months of book keeping, Allen arranged a clerkship for Cleveland to learn the law. The author indicates Allen was second only to Millard Fillmore in power and respect in Buffalo. Certainly a leg up in the world. 2.5 out of 5.

Pre-President – Cleveland spent 3.5 years at a law firm until he was admitted to the bar, making very little money and seeming unhappy in the letters sent to family during this time. His first elected office was as ward supervisor at the age of 25. Shortly after that he was appointed assistant district attorney where he got the bulk of his legal experience and reputation as an attorney. Cleveland supported Lincoln during the Civil War despite not enlisting and being a “war democrat.” He later indicated no spirit or “drive” to enlist and also felt a duty to support his mother when his brothers enlisted themselves. Cleveland hired a substitute to take his place in the war for $150, something that was apparently legal but which I didn’t see mentioned in biographies for Grant, Hayes, or Garfield.

Cleveland lost his first big election attempt for District attorney. Following this he spent six years as a private attorney, then ran for and was elected sheriff. His main reason for doing so was for all the fees he could supplement his income with. Based on my readings of Van Buren and Arthur’s biographies, I suspect there was some corruption in this, but the author states the $40,000 he made in two years was all on the up and up. While sheriff, Cleveland presided over and performed two executions. After his term, he spent six more years as a private attorney.

Cleveland ran for and was elected Mayor of Buffalo. He was not the first Democrat approached to run by the party, but was not their last choice either. His win was by a significant margin. As Mayor his two major accomplishments were vetoing a street cleaning bill that was funneling way too much money back to the men voting for it, and forcing a water sanitation project through at a reasonable price. Based on his success as Mayor he was then tapped as the Governor candidate by his party. The fact that he wasn’t a part of either rival faction of democrats made him a welcome choice ahead of the usual Conklin/Arthur machine men. He again won handily when he ran, and kept up his reputation as the “veto mayor” by continuing to veto bills he felt harmed the populace.

Cleveland next became famous for his conflicts with Tammany Hall (the New York political machine) throughout his career as he didn’t bow down to John Kelly’s demands. This escalated when Cleveland signed Teddy Roosevelt’s bill limiting Tammany power by taking appointment powers from county offices and shifting them to the mayor. By the time Cleveland was nominated by the Democratic party for president, his only real opposition were from Tammany Hall members. Cleveland was a popular candidate for presidential nomination. His limited political career meant he didn’t have the red flags many of his competition had. The only major scandal for Cleveland during election was the revelation that he may have fathered an illegitimate child. Cleveland offered to support the child financially but did not establish any sort of relationship with the child. The mother of the child was later sent to an insane asylum (and in this era, that could mean she was fine by today’s standards) and the boy was sent to an orphanage and adopted by a wealthy family. Cleveland’s opposition for President was James Blaine for the Republicans, who had a few of his own scandals to deal with during election. Cleveland was the first Democrat elected president since James Buchanan. His was a narrow victory in the popular vote, but much more handily in electoral college with four key swing states all going for Cleveland.

Presidential Career (First Term) – One of the first things the author gives Cleveland credit for is revitalizing the navy, arguing Arthur’s preliminary work to do so was a false start due to poor contracting on ship development (the Arthur biography I read before this obviously gave the credit to Arthur). Cleveland had quite a conflict over his appointments when the Senate requested all his documents relied on in making them. This was based on the contested Civil Service reformers where Congress wanted to prove that Cleveland was actually making changes due to political reasons and Cleveland was denying it. The Tenure of Office Act that was nearly Andrew Johnson’s downfall was even brought into it. However Cleveland held firm, didn’t provide the documents and the aforementioned Act was even voted down in his term.

Cleveland opposed the needless minting of Silver Dollars every year, foreseeing it could cause a financial collapse. There was also a split in the party on the handling of tariffs. Both issues caused lots of talking but didn’t go anywhere during Cleveland’s first term. As the first Democrat elected since Buchanan, civil war pride in the south was bolstered by Cleveland’s election. Soldiers wore their uniforms again and monuments were erected for some of the Confederate heroes. Cleveland also established the Department of Agriculture.

Cleveland attempted to bring the Democratic party together to modify the tariff schedule in a manner that primarily benefitted the south. The author spends a ton of pages on this, way more than any other topic and it was excruciating! I’m talking well over a hundred pages on tariffs, and primarily what was being argued in the House when Cleveland wasn’t even there. Cleveland didn’t actively campaign for his reelection but was not seriously challenged for it as well. His opposition was Benjamin Harrison from the vital swing state of Indiana. Cleveland wanted to run on educating the voters on the Tariff issue and for the most part was successful. The result was Harrison winning the popular vote, but losing the electoral college.

Interlude – After leaving office, Cleveland went back to his law practice although not doing court room work and instead functioning more as a mediator. Cleveland made some interesting statements about wealth disparity when leaving office, while not endorsing communism also not condemning it. He then stayed out of politics for awhile, but was drawn back in by the McKinley Act and the silver coinage question. Cleveland opposed unlimited coining of silver, which put him separate from many Democrats. He stayed mostly silent on this but not entirely, feeling a duty as a leader in the party. When the next election came around, his main competition for the nomination was from fellow New York senator Hill, and it was never particularly close. Cleveland’s victory over Harrison was the biggest landslide since Lincoln’s second term in 1864.

Presidential Career (2nd Term) - – There were a number of factors that were leading to an economic depression as soon as Cleveland took office, many of which the author blamed on Harrison but not all. Also of note right after Cleveland took office was the need to have a cancerous growth removed from his mouth. To avoid additional hysteria, the operation was done in secret on a yacht and required the removal of the top half of Cleveland’s jaw. By the combination of laying low and dentures, the general public didn’t find out about the operation until months later. The surgery did have a toll, leaving physically Cleveland weaker than at any point in his career afterwards.

On the international front, the Hawaiian (not yet a state) issue involved whether the U.S. would support the former queen of the island or a new insurgent government. While many were in favor of annexing Hawaii (mostly for economic reasons, as they exported tons of sugar, most of which was owned by Americans) Cleveland did not support it and it didn’t happen while he was in office. Tariff battles took up a lot of his time again, this time with Cleveland being unsuccessful at steering the democratic party his way. The party ended up passing a bill without him, which Cleveland refused to sign and was made into law anyway. Cleveland also argued for defending the Venezualan border from encroachment by British. He stalled any conflict with Spain by standing on the role of the executive to prevent recognizing Cuban independence and by one report indicated he would refuse to mobilize the army even if Congress declared war on Spain.

Back in the homeland, Cleveland attempted to use bonds to replenish gold reserves during the economic crisis. As the financial crisis continued, the treasury was in danger of becoming depleted. Cleveland helped orchestrate a transaction with several bankers (led by J.P. Morgan) to replenish the treasury with gold in exchange for government bonds which they then flipped for large profits. The deal was criticized for giving the bankers a huge financial windfall for not doing anything (Morgan was said to have pocketed seven million instantly) but it was successful in preventing the government from defaulting and maintaining the gold standard. Cleveland had to do it again in the final year of his presidency, but this time it was accomplished through public sales for about 2/3 of the bonds and 1/3 to J.P Morgan

The other large issue while in office was the Pullman Labor Strike which was a national issue but became particularly contested in Chicago. Cleveland authorized the use of federal troops to quell the resistance on grounds that it was disrupting mail and railways. It’s arguable if the violence that ensued was the result of federal troops escalating the situation or if it would have escalated anyway. At the time, Cleveland received bipartisan support for his actions. At the end of his second term, Cleveland was not interested in seeking a 3rd term, and ended up supporting a 3rd party (2nd democratic) ticket knowing it would guarantee McKinley the election, so convinced he was that the Bryanism/Free Silver ticket was bad.

Vice President – The expected swing states in the first election for Cleveland were Indiana and New York, so the Indiana candidate Hendricks was made the Vice President on the nominating slate. He died while in office, which led to Congress finally coming up with an order of secession bill that has cleared the issue up today. Not a bad legacy for a position that had no real power/involvement at the time.

Adlai Stevenson from Illinois was nominated as the Vice President for the second term. There was no other mention of him in the book afterward. 2 out of 5.

First Lady – Grover’s sister Rose Cleveland acted as hostess during his first term. By all accounts, she was an intelligent lady and filled the job admirably.

The author skips over courtship of Cleveland’s courtship with Frances Folsom, saying “so much has been written of it that there is no need to relate the story again in full.” What the hell? A middle-aged man, marrying a 22 year old he’s known since she was a baby is pretty interesting. Seemed like Cleveland was really smitten by her, her pictures show she was attractive, and most of the comments of the day were also about how attractive she was. Aside from that, she had a penchant for birds and flowers in the White House, was very social and against drinking though she didn’t impose her views on others (including Cleveland). They were married in the White House, the only time that’s happened. Tabloid type reporting of the day alluded to it being an unhappy marriage but everything in the biography seems to refute that. Her story isn’t elaborated on at all after Cleveland’s death. As for kids, their first (Baby Ruth) of five was born while in office but sadly died at age 12 shortly after he left office. 3.5 out of 5.

Post Presidency - Cleveland had no interest in running a fourth time (for a third term) in office. Instead he retired to Princeton, going to collegiate athletics and was active as a University Trustee. In addition he spent a lot of time hunting, fishing, and even writing articles for pay on occasion. He continued to monitor politics, was mentioned as possible international arbitrator and even presidential candidate again but declined all offers. Aside from that, Cleveland helped reorganize a major life insurance company and by all accounts took the job seriously and followed strict standards for appointing the men who would manage the money. Despite his unpopularity when he ended his second term of office, it appeared he had the respect back of his party, contemporary Teddy Roosevelt and the mayor of New York City at the end of his life. 2 out of 5.

Book Itself - This book continued a trend of beginning presidential biographies with moment president is inaugurated, then flash back to discussion of lineage. Nevins routinely points out whenever other biographies have missed something, or failed to provide proper emphasis on something (for example, Cleveland served as a delegate after being district attorney but before being Sheriff). He also clearly prefers Democrats of the era to Republicans, discussing Cleveland’s first cabinet as being the finest of the era, routinely insulting Grant, and stateing Cleveland’s work ethic was the best since Polk. Besides the George Washington comparison, Nevins is also kind in his verbage used toward the president. The author routinely used the word “powerful” to describe his appearance rather than overweight.

My biggest complaint about this book though is how Nevins spends so much time detailing political events that are the background for what Cleveland was doing but which he had little to no involvement in. For nearly 800 pages, he’s entirely glossed over what sort of family life he had. Although the book was written in 1932, Nevins assumes that readers are intimately familiar with the stories of how he met his wife or his speech on the Venezuelan border conflict. More than any other biography I’ve read on a president, this one was tough to finish. 2 out of 5.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is getting a little dated. It was published in 1931, after all.

I read this because the fact that Trump is the second president to be elected to non-consecutive terms, and I wondered what the story was with the first event. Grover Cleveland has quite a bit in common with the current president. He was fat, he believed in a strong executive power, he trusted his own instincts; much of the time he was very thin skinned and used his power to settle personal grievances. On the other hand, he was apparently scrupulously honest, respected the constitution, and when it came to issues concerning the economy he was careful and thoughtful. He did preside over a major economic downturn in his second term. Ironically, tariffs were the big issue of the day. Cleveland wanted to lower them.

Allan Nevins was an excellent writer, and although this is clearly a highly laudatory biography, Nevins is critical of Cleveland when there is no other option. The two terms of the Cleveland administration are way overdue for a new consideration.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE DEMOCRACTS STRIKE BACK!!!

This should be the moto for Cleveland's first term as president. The popularity of the republican party had fallen from corruption and greed from being in power too long.

Cleveland should get enormous credit for pushing for tariff reform which should be noted that tariff reform had been a democrats talking point since before the civil war.

His credit for restoring the navy and bringing governmental reform belongs to prior guided age presidents. Cleveland can best be described as answering the popular calls of the people at the time. He didn't do much for social reform and was lackluster when it came to international affairs. He didn't push for the canal. ***I did not mention in my first review that he did indeed bring down tariffs and was steadfast for this bill when he knew it was right even though it cost him his reelection. Also, he was able to strike down the horrendous tenure of office act which gave the senate extraordinary powers.***

He did attack the media for coverage of him and his bride. Which brings another point, during the campaign, it was discovered that he more than likely sexually assaulted a woman in Buffalo. While this woman didn't come forward to well after the incident, the facts tend to give credit to the woman's story. She was harassed and put in a psych ward by Cleveland. She was later released under the fact that she had no reason to be there. When she was put there, she lost custody of her child. Desperate and relentlessly attacked, she tried to get her son back to no avail.

While this inflicts deeply upon his character, I can't take this into account while ranking his presidency per my own ranking rules.

The nation needed a change of party, and Cleveland was the right man for the job even though he is highly questionable in character.

As this president is highly different from the others, I will be ranking his two different terms separately and then taking an average.

Presidential Rank B

Book Rank 4 stars: a little biased towards the democrats, especially when the author calls northern Yankees when making a random point. Also, he contradicts himself by saying that at one point, the Canada ban was a counter move politically, and the next chapter said it wasn't a political stunt. Will need eventual further reading.

Cleveland's 2nd term
2
Winning yet an other popular vote Cleveland comes back to the white house after the economic disaster of the Harrison admin. The country is in great peril and Cleveland sees it's main fault being the push for a switch to silver currency. Cleveland is once again fighting his own party and the nay sayers as he stands fast against the flood and fights to keep the gold currency alive to the benefit of the country to avoid an economic collapse.
At the same time, an other damage control is the country's growing thirst for imperialism. Cleveland is like a man trying to plug holes in the Hoover damn with his fingers. He does an extraordinary job in this making his Venezuela speech and chopping off hopes early of Hawaii annexation.
Two problems plague him during the 2nd admin. Onley, who leads him astray with sending in troops to stop the rail strike and social reform progress where 6he is lack luster again.

FYI: His post presidency relationship with Woodrow Wilson is hilarious.

Final Ranking: B
Book Ranking: A

[Bill Pritchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a while, but I was able to finally finish volume 2 of the life of Grover Cleveland, our 22nd and 24th President of the United States (and answer to a good bar trivia question - although in most bars I inhabit it may be a bit beyond most). James Russell Lowell had called Cleveland the most typical American since Lincoln. Typical, perhaps, yet also unique; so limited in some directions and so powerful in others, so lacking in all that men call magnetism and yet so compelling. His must always seem an astonishing career; that of a man who might have seemed doomed to mediocrity, yet whose life became inextricably mingled with the dramatic occurrences of national history for a score of years. In some ways he was indeed a man of plain and simple talents. Yet so shrewd a judge as Lord Bryce found in him great powers, and his massive strength of character made these powers count with singular force in public affairs. He imposed himself upon his time in a way that no mediocre man could for a moment have done. He had also the good fortune of fitting the needs of his generation with a completeness that is true of few of our political leaders.

He came upon the national stage at a moment when the country desperately needed some strong figure to rally and lead the forces of liberalism - the simple, basic liberalism expressed in honesty, economy, and efficient governmental service; and he performed his task so well that for his time and later times he became the very embodiment of Reform as Americans in the last quarter of the twentieth century interpreted that word.

As has become the norm, I walk away from Grover Cleveland with an appreciation to the incredible men that have filled the Presidency. I would strongly suggest these two volumes (over 800 pages) if you wish to understand the late 20th century leading up to Teddy Roosevelt.

[Jdb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Few, Fun, Factoids:

(1) Cleveland’s first name is not Grover..it’s STEPHEN-who new?
(2) He was the only Democratic President in a 52 year span from 1860 to 1912
(3) He is the only President to be defeated for re-election and then come back and win another term (fingers crossed we don’t see history repeat in 2024 🙏)
(4) He remained a bachelor until he was 49 when he married a woman 28 years younger, the first President to get married in the White House
(5) His first child was Ruth, called ‘Baby Ruth’. (Yes, she was the inspiration for the candy bar)
(6) He had his entire upper left jaw removed to treat mouth cancer, later in life
(7) While serving as a sheriff for a Buffalo NY county early in his career, he twice served as a hangman !

Author Allan Nevins, an eminent mid 20th century historian, wrote this book in 1932; I expected the writing to be stodgy but it was remarkably modern and even eloquent at times (”The winds had whistled & the waves had swept high in this turbulent campaign of 1884, but the fountains of the great deep had not been broken up”….”A thousand voices came from that murky cave of the winds called public opinion”….”It was like an avalanche, a mere whisper at first, then a half-imperceptible shift in the landscape & suddenly a roar, a crash, an irresistible cataclysm”)

Nevins summarizes Cleveland’s character as:”greatness not in rare or brilliant qualities, but in typical ones…possessed honesty, courage, firmness, independence, & common sense, unimaginative…an energy which enable him to impose his qualities upon others in a crisis…shrewdness of judgment, he was never a great intellectual forces…it was his personality not his mind that made a good impression.”

Cleveland’s presidencies did not face any existential foreign policy crises and his domestic battles were fought over the pre-progressive issues of tariffs, currency (gold & silver standards), anti imperialism(Hawaii annexation), labor unrests & strikes, and a financial recession. The book makes clear that rumblings of progressive reform were heard just beneath the surface of events during Cleveland’s terms.

The subtitle of the book is “a Study in Courage”, which refers to political courage where Cleveland consistently put principle over party, and ultimately split the Democratic party and led to losses in 1888 and then 1896. It is somewhat ironic that this subtitle doesn’t include physical courage when Cleveland purchased a substitute for himself after being drafted in the Civil War…Nevins simply says “He lacked martial spirit”

Final thoughts include prescient comments about politics & the American system which we face today and will encounter in 2024:

“Cleveland had too much trust in democracy to realize the ease w/which dust could be thrown in the eyes of the voters & confusing prejudices aroused; It is always a misfortune when an issue which demands calm study becomes entangled w/heated complexities of a Presidential election. The 2 parties in their eagerness for attack are pushed into extreme positions The victorious side is then certain to carry into practical legislation the unwise doctrines to which it has committed itself. Repeatedly it has been shown that no fact of American politics more effectually arouses passion & prevents compromise than the violent quadrennial collision of the 2 parties.”

“A party cannot repudiate a president after his first term w/o incurring grave dangers” (does this not succinctly describe the problem with the probable candidates in 2024?)

Finally, a Cleveland quote: “I have some idea that the party may before long be purged of Bryanism , & that the rank and file, surprised at their wanderings & enraged at their false leaders, will be anxious to return to the old faith; and in their desire to reorganize under the old banners will welcome the counsel of those who have never yielded to disastrous heresy” (IF YOU SUBSTITUTE TRUMPISM FOR Bryanism, DOES THIS NOT PRECISELY DESCRIBE THE PLIGHT OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY 2023?)


“…History does not repeat, but it rhymes”

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only man ever to serve two non-consecutive terms as president was born in Caldwell, New Jersey
in 1837, the son of a minister who transferred to a parish in Fayetteville, New York where he mostly
grew up. As an adult he moved to Buffalo where an uncle was a prominent citizen. He clerked in a
law office and became an attorney.

This was all around the time of the Civil War and Cleveland did not serve, paying a substitute to serve
in his stead. You could do it back then, but it became an issue in all 3 campaigns for president.

Cleveland's rise to prominence was sudden and spectacular. Up through about 1880 he was a lawyer
in practice in Buffalo and other than a couple of terms as Erie County Sheriff he was an honest, but
obscure Democrat. In 1881 the Democrats needed a candidate for Mayor of Buffalo and his performance in a job where he was in less than a year moved him up to a nomination for Governor of
New York in 1882. Cleveland defeated the Republican candidate Charles J. Folger by a wide margin
and in 1884 was nominated for president.

Cleveland was no one to try innovative policies. In an era of graft and greed he stood out for a dogged honesty quite rare. It got him elected president in 1884. His first term was noted for that
honesty and for vetoing any number of spending bills the Republican controlled Senate sponsored.
The Civil War veterans organization the Grand Army of the Republic was a powerful voting bloc and
they went hog wild with getting Republicans to sponsor pension bills of dubious merit to those whose war service was questionable. Cleveland not having served himself didn't help. The parties
also fought over the tariff which Cleveland favored lowering. Though he won the popular vote,
he lost the presidency in the Electoral College to Benjamin Harrison.

Come 1892 though Cleveland was renominated and re-elected president. His second term featured
a lowering of the tariff and a struggle within his own party with those who wanted to exchange the
gold standard for one with silver as a backer for our money. Cleveland also sent in troops to break
up a railroad strike which made him most unpopular with labor. In foreign policy Cleveland engineered a settlement of the boundary of Venezuela and British Guiana and he resisted calls for
intervention in the Cuban insurrection.

When he retired from the presidency in 1897 Cleveland and his family moved to Princeton where
he was a member of the university board of directors. He spoke out on issues occasionally and
died in 1908.

Cleveland's reputation for honesty is the legacy he left the presidency and the American people. We
could use a Grover Cleveland in many offices today.

[Lorenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well-written and very informative. I really learned a lot from this book especially as Grover Cleveland is not really as well known as other U.S. Presidents. This book is complete with all the details you could ask for in a presidential biography, from his background as an up and coming lawyer to the major domestic and foreign policy decisions he has to make as a President. I would admit that this book would have been even better if it has been updated but not once did i feel that it is lacking in anyway just because of its age. In other words, I would have wanted comparisons of Cleveland's policies with Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan (not just with W. Wilson and TR) but I still think that even without it is still complete and helpful. My only reason for not giving 5 stars is that the author often chooses to pass the blame on Cleveland's subordinates and enemies rather than on Cleveland himself for Cleveland's lackluster presidency as well as the wrong decisions that Cleveland made during his time in office.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was definitely thorough and detailed. The writing is good, but a little dated. I enjoyed the read for the first third of so, however the further into it I got the slower it felt. I am glad that I finished it and I now have a solid understanding of the time period and Cleveland. I would warn potential readers that you are in for a marathon!

[Clayton Brannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of our presidents have fallen into oblivion over the years. Grover Cleveland is one that this should not have happened to. A well-written, extremely informative book on one of America's better presidents. 

[John Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dense

[Adam Shain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thorough Biography of Grover Cleveland. It is a dry read, yet it also has interesting perspectives being written so long ago.

[Stan Lanier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely for the scholar or the motivated well educated layperson.

[Mariah Hanson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, this was by far the most boring, pedantic biography I have ever read. Total disservice to a great President. Read anything but this book on Grover.

[Earl Ecklund III · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allen Nevins's biography of Grover Cleveland is still one of the best biographies ever written about a President and it still stands as the definitive biography of Cleveland over 90 years later. Nevins carefully explores Cleveland's early years, his meteoric rise from Mayor of Buffalo to Governor of New York to President in a few short years. Nevins carefully explains the issues of the day (Civil Service, Currency debate over Silver vs. Gold, Tariff reform) and how Cleveland dealt with these in his first term. Following his defeat to Benjamin Harrison in 1888 Cleveland secured the nomination again in 1892 and returned to power after winning the election that year. Nevins then explores Cleveland's constant struggle to keep America on the Gold standard and make sure that the nation's gold supply was protected during what is now known as the Panic of 1893. Cleveland's second term was full of struggles as he fought with the silver faction in his own party, failed to secure a downward revision of the tariff, and resisted the imperialist movement. If anything Nevins portrays Cleveland as a strong leader who is not afraid to take an unpopular stand he believes is right. The only thing I wish Nevins had done more is spend more on Cleveland's relationships with his children and the years between his 2 terms. I highly recommend this very readable biography.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5. I am sorry to hate on a Pulitzer so much, let alone a prez bio and one that taught me so much, but I seriously can't take another chapter about the silver/currency issues. I do realize that when this book was published in 1932 it was probably very relevant and immediate in the minds of people, the whole silver/bi-metallism/gold standard debate and the plunge of the company into economic ruin and all...but...I couldn't even keep some of the players straight, and I was *reading* it, on actual pages. I had an easier time with Lords of Finance, which I listened to on audio! Anyway, I also thought it was really weird that Nevins didn't mention *SPOILER ALERT* (haha) McKinley's death at all. I mean - really? Unless I fell asleep on that page or something, he just skipped right over it, from Grover being all pals-y with McKinley at the latter's inmauguration, and thenone day President Teddy asks Grover something and it's like - hey, where'd that other dude go? I mean, I *know*, but that's not the point. He mentioned Rutherford Hayes' funeral. What the heck? OK, rant over. Grover was honest and tried to do right and I liked learning about him and his super-interesting cabinets. OK, maybe 2.75.

[Jerry Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most fascinating things about this read was that, since it was written in the 1930s, the author was able to interview numerous people who actually knew Cleveland, both professionally and personally, which adds a nice dimension beyond the cut and dry facts of his life. Nevins did have a tendency at times to get too wrapped up in minute details and at times stepped out of an air of objectivity that I believe is important for a biographer to maintain. Overall, though, it was a good read with a great deal of informative insight into our 22nd and 24th president.

[David Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of the men who served as president the last half of the nineteenth century were non-entities. Before reading this book, I'd have put Cleveland in that group.

This book (winner of the Pulitzer prize for American Biography) is well researched, well written, and entertaining. I've read a number of whole life presidential biographies and had issues with many of them. Some spent more time on politics than policy, or what the first lady wore. This one, to my mind, focuses on the important things.

Recommended.

[Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent bio of Cleveland. Very interesting and a good read.