Grover Cleveland

Biography

Cleveland was born in Caldwell, New Jersey to the Rev. Richard Cleveland and Anne Neal. He was one of nine children. His father was a Presbyterian minister. He was raised in upstate New York. As a lawyer in Buffalo, he became notable for his single-minded concentration upon whatever task faced him. He was elected sheriff of Erie County, New York in 1870 and, while in that post, carried out at least two hangings of condemned criminals. Political opponents would later hold this against him, calling him the "Buffalo Hangman." Cleveland stated that he wished to take the responsibility for the executions himself, and not pass it along to subordinates.

Related Topics:
Caldwell, New Jersey - Presbyterian - New York - Buffalo - Erie County, New York - 1870

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At 44, he emerged into a political prominence that carried him to the White House in three years. Running as a reformer, he was elected mayor of Buffalo in 1881, with the slogan "Public Office is a Public Trust" as his trademark of office, and was later elected Governor of New York, where he worked closely with the young Theodore Roosevelt, at the time a leader of reform-minded Republicans in the New York legislature. Roosevelt admired Cleveland's stubborn nature.

Related Topics:
White House - 1881 - Governor of New York - Theodore Roosevelt - Legislature

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