Cleveland, GROVER

Cleveland, GROVER, the twenty-second president of the United States, was born at Caldwell, New Jersey, March 18, 1837, the son of a Presbyterian minister. In early life he removed to the state of New York. In 1859 he was admitted to the bar, and began the practice of law at Buffalo. From 1863 to 1866 he was assistant district attorney for Erie county, and in 1870 was chosen sheriff. After filling the office of mayor of Buffalo, he was, in 1882, elected governor of New York by an unexampled majority of more than 190,000 votes. His course as governor was approved by the best people of all parties. In 1884 he was nominated by the Democrats for the chief magistracy of the United States. The canvass which followed was one of extreme earnestness and excitement. Cleveland received 219 electoral votes (Blaine, the Republican candidate, securing 182); and the returns of the popular vote also gave him a plurality. He took his seat as president in 1885. In a unique and forcible message to congress in December 1887 regarding the reduction of the great surplus in the national treasury, he strongly advised a careful readjustment of the tariff charges on certain manufactured articles of import, and the admission duty-free of some of the raw materials of manufacture—a position which led to a well-defined issue between the two political parties. Protectionists classed the president's message as a free-trade document, but this was denied by the Democrats, and its doctrines were adopted as the basis of the Democratic platform at the convention of that party in 1888, when Mr Cleveland was unanimously nominated for re-election to the presidency. In the following August, on the rejection of the proposed Fisheries Treaty with Canada by the Republican majority in the senate, the president sent a message to congress, declaring a policy of 'retaliation' against Canada now necessary. In October he demanded the recall of Lord Sackville, the British minister, for writing a letter held to trench on American politics. At the election in November, Cleveland was defeated by the Republican candidate, General Harrison, over whom, however, he secured a large majority in November 1892. His next term of office was signalled by his zeal for currency reform, for the repeal of the Silver Act, and against the high republican tariff schemes, and by a sudden intervention in the dispute between Britain and Venezuela (q.v.) by a message to congress (December 1895), which for a time threatened to cause war between Britain and the United States. In March 1897 he made way for the Republican president, McKinley (q.v.).