Donald Trump’s decision to contest the 2024 United States presidential
elections has reminded Americans of Grover Cleveland, the only US president in
history to win an election, lose for a term, and come back to power again.
Grover Cleveland won the White House for the first time in 1884 to become the
22nd President of the United States, served his term till 1888, and
then served a second term from 1893 to 1897.

Who was Grover Cleveland?

Grover Cleveland, whose full name was Stephen Grover Cleveland, was born
on March 18, 1837 in Caldwell, New Jersey to Richard and Ann Cleveland. Richard
Falley Cleveland was a Congregational and Presbyterian minister. Ann came from
a family of booksellers.

Grover Cleveland was the fifth of nine children. He was young when his
family moved to Fayettville, New York, where he spent the greater part of his
childhood. Cleveland did his elementary schooling from Fayetteville Academy and
subsequently studied at the Clinton Liberal Academy.

In 1853, after his father died, Grover Cleveland quit school to help out
his family. Cleveland moved westward and found his first job as a clerk in
Buffalo, New York. Grover Cleveland went on to study law and was admitted to
the New York Bar in 1859.

Grover Cleveland did not fight in the American Civil War (1861-65). When
the Conscription Act of 1863 came into effect, Cleveland chose to pay $150 to George
Benninsky, a 32-year-old Polish immigrant, to fight on his behalf.

Cleveland succeeded in his law career and became well known for his
single-minded concentration and hard work. He drew attention when he
successfully defended a libel suit against the author of the editor of Buffalo’s
Commercial Advertiser.

Grover Cleveland subsequently went on the become the mayor of Buffalo
and then the Governor of New York.

In 1884, Grover Cleveland wrested the presidency from Republican nominee
James G. Blaine. It was said of Cleveland that: “Not since George Washington
had a candidate for president been so renowned for his rectitude.”

When he entered the White House at age 47, Grover Cleveland was a
bachelor. He was married two years later to Frances Folsom, who was 21 years
old when Cleveland was 49. Grover Cleveland is the only President to marry
while in the White House. At 21, Frances Folsom was the youngest First Lady in
history.

In the 1889 elections, Grover Cleveland lost to Republican nominee
Benjamin Harrison.

At the time of leaving the White House, Frances, then Cleveland, told a
staff member, “Now, Jerry, I want you to take good care of all the furniture
and ornaments in the house, for I want to find everything just as it is now,
when we come back again.”

Upon being asked when she would come back again, she said, “We are coming
back four years from today.”

And return they did. After four years outside the public eye, Cleveland
was once again the Democratic candidate for president. The Republicans
renominated President Harrison, resulting in a rematch. And Cleveland won.

Cleveland’s second term came with several challenges, including the
Panic of 1893, the Pullman strike and worker unrests.

In 1893, Cleveland was diagnosed with cancer. He underwent a surgery
secretly fearing the affect of his illness on the stock market. He recovered
and served the office till the end of his term and remained active for several
years after.

In 1991, Glover Cleveland suffered a heart attack and died aged 71.