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Grover Cleveland
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Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837–June 24, 1908)[1] was a former United States President famous for three things: Being the first Democrat to hold the Oval Office since the end of the Civil War, being the third person to win the popular vote and lose the Electoral College vote,[note 1] and being the first President in United States to serve two non-consecutive terms,[2] Trump is the second.[3]
Cleveland's victory in 1884 can largely be attributed to the Mugwump movement, a group of Republicans who refused to back the Presidential Campaign of James G. Blaine, Cleveland's opponent.[4] This came about due to the perception of Blaine as a corrupt figure in politics, while Cleveland was largely seen as a pure reformer.[5] This largely goes back to his beginning in politics, taking on the powerful Tammany Hall during his time in New York.[1]
President Veto[edit]
One of the most notable things about Cleveland was his constant use of the veto, engaging in 584 total vetoes over his eight years as President, making him second in use of the power only to FDR, who served four terms.[6] He used this power on everything from legislation restricting immigration[7] to a bill which would have helped Texas during a drought.[8] His tendency for using a veto to stop legislation he disliked from passing even went back to his time as Mayor of Buffalo, New York, where he got the nickname of "veto mayor" because of his like of the power.[1]
This has made him somewhat of a hero among the libertarian-right, with the Foundation for Economic Education (a source known for being biased towards this group, although they are also mostly in the right regarding facts[9]) even has an article called "How Grover Cleveland Wielded the Veto Power to Curb the Growth of Government" specifically singing his praises in this regard. The article specifically makes note of his vetoes against pensions, public buildings, and attempts to curb the rights of Native Americans.[10]
Wait, pensions?[edit]
Yes, pensions. Specifically, pensions for people who claimed the right to said pensions from Congress, as could be done at the time.[10]
You see, the already existing pension system was designed for people who had gotten injured while fighting in the Civil War or who were dependents of those who died in the war, however it was easy for Congressmen to simply introduce legislation allowing their constituents to have pensions regardless of if their current situation had anything to do with service. Cleveland found this unacceptable, and on some occasions would be involved with investigations of the claims of those pensioners specifically to make sure they were in the group this law was originally designed to help. This, however, ended up costing him quite a bit of political capital, with Benjamin Harris running in 1888 specifically on the platform of creating a broader pension system that could be taken advantage of much easier, using the logic that it was not worth attempting to root out the cases of fraud when so many who were in pain genuinely needed help.[10]
Misogynist and racist[edit]
Cleveland was opposed to women's suffrage, claiming that "sensible women do not want to vote" and campaigned against the Lodge Bill in 1892, a bill that would have strengthened protections for voting rights.[11][12]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ He lost the 1888 Presidential Electoral to Benjamin Harris despite winning more votes than his opponent
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Grover Cleveland Britannica
- ↑ Grover Cleveland whitehouse.gov
- ↑ Hajela, Deepti (November 6, 2024). "Trump isn't first to be second: Grover Cleveland set precedent of non-consecutive presidential terms". Associated Press.
- ↑ Mugwump Britannica
- ↑ Grover Cleveland, Mugwumps, and the 1884 Election American History USA
- ↑ 9 U.S. Presidents with the Most Vetoes Britannica
- ↑ President Cleveland Vetoes a Law Restricting Immigration Social History in Every Classroom
- ↑ Grover Cleveland’s Veto of the Texas Seed Bill (February 16, 1887) The American Yamp Reader
- ↑ Foundation for Economic Education Media Bias Factcheck
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 How Grover Cleveland Wielded the Veto Power to Curb the Growth of Government Foundation for Economic Education
- ↑ Ladies Home Journal 22, (October 1905), 7–8
- ↑ James B. Hedges (1940), "North America", in William L. Langer, ed., An Encyclopedia of World History, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, Part V, Section G, Subsection 1c, p. 794.