Grover Cleveland: Fourth Annual Message to Congress

About the Author

Grover Cleveland was born in New Jersey in 1837 but moved to New York as a youth. A lifelong Democrat, he was elected sheriff of Erie County, New York, in 1870 and then mayor of Buffalo. Cleveland established a reputation as a reformer and was elected governor in 1882. He won his party's nomination in 1884 and was elected president. Cleveland lost in the 1888 election, but he won a second term in 1892, becoming the only president in U.S. history to serve nonconsecutive terms. During his first term Cleveland endeavored to curb the power of special interests within Congress. His second term was marred by a severe economic crisis and a national dispute over the annexation of Hawaii. He declined to run for a third term in 1896 and instead retired from public life. Cleveland died on June 24, 1908.

In 1884 Cleveland was the first Democrat elected president since the Civil War. He entered office determined to reform national politics, and he issued a record number of vetoes, often to defeat bills that catered to special interests. He viewed the presidency as a public trust that required his utmost devotion and duty. A plain man, Cleveland was uncomfortable with the trappings of his office. He became the first president to be married in the White House when he wed Frances Folsom in 1886. Cleveland was extremely hardworking and impressed both admirers and detractors with his energy and zeal. He strongly resisted congressional efforts to constrain presidential power. Cleveland's actions helped strengthen the office of chief executive and established the foundation of the modern presidency.

Many of Cleveland's major domestic initiatives had limited success in his first term. He strongly favored free trade and lower tariffs, but he was unable to reform the nation's tariff system. He also failed to repeal currency laws that undermined the value of the dollar. During his second term a major depression caused widespread unemployment and stagnant economic growth. Cleveland worked to prevent the collapse of the dollar and protect the nation's gold reserves. His support of gold-backed currency put him at odds with westerners within his own party who supported silver. He took strong action against labor unrest, including the use of federal troops to quell labor protests.

In foreign policy Cleveland was a staunch anti-imperialist. He supported a free-trade agreement with Hawaii but opposed annexation of the island kingdom. The president resisted congressional efforts to involve the United States in the ongoing Cuban revolution. He thought that the United States should be neutral in the conflict, although he endorsed eventual Cuban independence from Spain. Cleveland also opposed German efforts to create a sphere of influence over the Solomon Islands. He used the Monroe Doctrine as a justification for intervening in a boundary dispute between Great Britain and Venezuela. Cleveland threatened military action as a way to pressure the British, who eventually agreed to arbitration. His policies reflected ongoing splits within the Democratic Party on foreign policy, economics, and social issues. The divisions within the party prompted Cleveland to retire after his second term.