Grover Cleveland: Repeated
2023-07-30
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1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.
2Today we are talking about Grover Cleveland.
3When Americans remember him, it is mostly because he makes writing presidential timelines difficult.
4Cleveland was the nation's 22nd president, and also its 24th.
5He remains the only U.S. president to date whose second term did not immediately follow the first.
6Cleveland is also notable because of his personal life, and because he held office during one of the country's worst economic crises.
7Stephen Grover Cleveland was born in the northeastern state of New Jersey and grew up mostly in New York.
8He was a middle child in a family of nine children.
9His father was a minister, and the family did not have much money.
10As a result, Cleveland had little formal education.
11He was one of the few presidents who did not go to college.
12But he was able to become a lawyer. He earned enough money and developed a good professional image.
13In time, he became a sheriff, a mayor, and the governor of the state of New York.
14In his early life, Cleveland did not marry and have children.
15Instead, he had many friends, with whom he enjoyed hunting, fishing, and eating and drinking in restaurants.
16But Cleveland did have a relationship with a widow named Maria Halpin.
17She became pregnant and said Cleveland was the baby's father.
18Cleveland said he was not sure if he was.
19However, he gave the child some financial support, the name of one of his closest friends, and his own family name.
20The child was called Oscar Folsom Cleveland.
21Shortly after the boy was born, his mother was sent to an institution for the mentally unstable.
22Doctors quickly confirmed that her mental health was fine, but her son was taken from her and raised by another family.
23The story about Halpin and the child became an issue in the election of 1884.
24The Democratic Party had nominated Cleveland as their candidate for president.
25In general, voters liked his message of limiting federal spending, reducing the power of wealthy interests, and stopping political corruption.
26Some called him "Grover the Good."
27But Cleveland's opponents said his history with Maria Halpin showed that he was an immoral man.
28At anti-Cleveland rallies, Republicans chanted, "Ma, ma, where's my Pa?" Pa is another word for father.
29But Cleveland did not comment much on the matter.
30His defenders said Cleveland's honesty as a public official was more important than his bad judgment as a private citizen.
31Voters seemed to agree.
32Cleveland narrowly won the election.
33His supporters answered the Republicans' chants of "where's my Pa?" by saying, "Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha!"
34Grover Cleveland's presidency was unusual because he did not want to use the office to propose laws.
35Instead, he mostly aimed to keep the federal government operating efficiently.
36He also wanted to limit lawmakers' power to help special interest groups.
37As a result, Cleveland vetoed many bills in his first term.
38He set a record at that time for saying no to proposals from Congress.
39One of the few ideas that he supported was reducing tariffs.
40Many of his fellow Democrats liked that idea, too.
41But a number of Republicans did not.
42In the next election, their candidate, Benjamin Harrison, defeated Cleveland.
43Cleveland returned to being a lawyer in New York.
44In 1892, Cleveland was chosen to run against Benjamin Harrison again.
45The tariff issue returned: the Republicans' protective tariffs had hurt some industries, and voters answered this time by voting Harrison out of office.
46Cleveland returned to the White House.
47But this time he was not alone.
48Two years into his first term as president, Cleveland married the daughter of his close friend, Oscar Folsom.
49The bride's name was Frances Folsom.
50She was 21 years old at the time.
51The president was 49.
52Cleveland was not the first president to get married while in office.
53But he was the first one to be married in the White House.
54The event captivated the public.
55What's more, Americans adored the new first lady.
56She was known for being social, charming, and beautiful.
57Historians conclude that she was the most popular first lady since Dolley Madison.
58She remains the youngest.
59When the Clevelands returned to the White House, the country was entering a severe economic recession.
60Some of the country's biggest businesses were failing, including a railroad and many banks.
61As a result, investors withdrew their money from the stock market.
62The withdrawal caused many other businesses to fail.
63The series of events is known as the Panic of 1893.
64Soon, more and more Americans were out of work.
65Many could not afford houses or food. Some begged President Cleveland to intervene.
66But he declined.
67He did not think it was the role of the federal government to create jobs in order to reverse the depression.
68However, Cleveland did use the power of the federal government to intervene during a famous labor strike.
69In that event, workers in Chicago who helped keep the trains operating walked out of their jobs.
70They were protesting a major decrease in their pay that did not include a decrease in their living expenses.
71Since the owner of the company also controlled the price of housing and food, workers appealed to him to treat them more fairly.
72But the company owner refused even to meet with the workers.
73Soon, the workers' boycott grew. Workers at other railyards stopped working.
74Farmers could not get their goods to market, and others could not get the supplies they needed.
75Even the mail stopped being delivered.
76So Cleveland sent federal troops to break the strike.
77In the short term, Cleveland's actions worked.
78The trains moved again, and both the courts and most of the public agreed with the president's decision.
79But in the long term, Cleveland's handling of the panic, depression, and workers' strike lost the support of many voters.
80At the next opportunity, they voted him out of the White House again.
81Cleveland returned to New York, and later settled in a large house in Princeton, New Jersey.
82There, he wrote, made speeches, sat on corporate boards, became a trustee of Princeton University and enjoyed the respect of the people who lived in the town.
83He died at age 71 of problems with his stomach, heart, and kidneys.
84Several people said his final words were, "I have tried so hard to do right."
85Then and now, many people agreed with that idea.
86Cleveland was generally an honest man who worked hard and tried to act independently as president.
87But he is not considered one of America's best leaders.
88He did not have a clear idea about how to guide the country.
89Yet the opposing party, at least, may have considered Cleveland's presidency a success.
90After Cleveland's final election defeat, six of the next seven presidents were Republicans.
91I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.
1VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents. 2Today we are talking about Grover Cleveland. When Americans remember him, it is mostly because he makes writing presidential timelines difficult. Cleveland was the nation's 22nd president, and also its 24th. 3He remains the only U.S. president to date whose second term did not immediately follow the first. 4Cleveland is also notable because of his personal life, and because he held office during one of the country's worst economic crises. 5Early life 6Stephen Grover Cleveland was born in the northeastern state of New Jersey and grew up mostly in New York. He was a middle child in a family of nine children. His father was a minister, and the family did not have much money. 7As a result, Cleveland had little formal education. He was one of the few presidents who did not go to college. But he was able to become a lawyer. He earned enough money and developed a good professional image. 8In time, he became a sheriff, a mayor, and the governor of the state of New York. 9In his early life, Cleveland did not marry and have children. Instead, he had many friends, with whom he enjoyed hunting, fishing, and eating and drinking in restaurants. 10But Cleveland did have a relationship with a widow named Maria Halpin. She became pregnant and said Cleveland was the baby's father. 11Cleveland said he was not sure if he was. However, he gave the child some financial support, the name of one of his closest friends, and his own family name. The child was called Oscar Folsom Cleveland. 12Shortly after the boy was born, his mother was sent to an institution for the mentally unstable. Doctors quickly confirmed that her mental health was fine, but her son was taken from her and raised by another family. 13The story about Halpin and the child became an issue in the election of 1884. The Democratic Party had nominated Cleveland as their candidate for president. 14In general, voters liked his message of limiting federal spending, reducing the power of wealthy interests, and stopping political corruption. Some called him "Grover the Good." 15But Cleveland's opponents said his history with Maria Halpin showed that he was an immoral man. At anti-Cleveland rallies, Republicans chanted, "Ma, ma, where's my Pa?" Pa is another word for father. 16But Cleveland did not comment much on the matter. His defenders said Cleveland's honesty as a public official was more important than his bad judgment as a private citizen. 17Voters seemed to agree. Cleveland narrowly won the election. His supporters answered the Republicans' chants of "where's my Pa?" by saying, "Gone to the White House, ha, ha, ha!" 18First presidential term 19Grover Cleveland's presidency was unusual because he did not want to use the office to propose laws. Instead, he mostly aimed to keep the federal government operating efficiently. He also wanted to limit lawmakers' power to help special interest groups. 20As a result, Cleveland vetoed many bills in his first term. He set a record at that time for saying no to proposals from Congress. 21One of the few ideas that he supported was reducing tariffs. 22Many of his fellow Democrats liked that idea, too. But a number of Republicans did not. In the next election, their candidate, Benjamin Harrison, defeated Cleveland. 23Cleveland returned to being a lawyer in New York. 24In 1892, Cleveland was chosen to run against Benjamin Harrison again. The tariff issue returned: the Republicans' protective tariffs had hurt some industries, and voters answered this time by voting Harrison out of office. 25Cleveland returned to the White House. But this time he was not alone. 26White House wedding 27Two years into his first term as president, Cleveland married the daughter of his close friend, Oscar Folsom. 28The bride's name was Frances Folsom. She was 21 years old at the time. The president was 49. 29Cleveland was not the first president to get married while in office. But he was the first one to be married in the White House. 30The event captivated the public. What's more, Americans adored the new first lady. She was known for being social, charming, and beautiful. Historians conclude that she was the most popular first lady since Dolley Madison. She remains the youngest. 31Second presidential term 32When the Clevelands returned to the White House, the country was entering a severe economic recession. Some of the country's biggest businesses were failing, including a railroad and many banks. 33As a result, investors withdrew their money from the stock market. The withdrawal caused many other businesses to fail. The series of events is known as the Panic of 1893. 34Soon, more and more Americans were out of work. Many could not afford houses or food. Some begged President Cleveland to intervene. But he declined. He did not think it was the role of the federal government to create jobs in order to reverse the depression. 35However, Cleveland did use the power of the federal government to intervene during a famous labor strike. In that event, workers in Chicago who helped keep the trains operating walked out of their jobs. They were protesting a major decrease in their pay that did not include a decrease in their living expenses. 36Since the owner of the company also controlled the price of housing and food, workers appealed to him to treat them more fairly. But the company owner refused even to meet with the workers. 37Soon, the workers' boycott grew. Workers at other railyards stopped working. Farmers could not get their goods to market, and others could not get the supplies they needed. Even the mail stopped being delivered. 38So Cleveland sent federal troops to break the strike. 39In the short term, Cleveland's actions worked. The trains moved again, and both the courts and most of the public agreed with the president's decision. 40But in the long term, Cleveland's handling of the panic, depression, and workers' strike lost the support of many voters. At the next opportunity, they voted him out of the White House again. 41Cleveland's legacy 42Cleveland returned to New York, and later settled in a large house in Princeton, New Jersey. 43There, he wrote, made speeches, sat on corporate boards, became a trustee of Princeton University and enjoyed the respect of the people who lived in the town. 44He died at age 71 of problems with his stomach, heart, and kidneys. Several people said his final words were, "I have tried so hard to do right." 45Then and now, many people agreed with that idea. Cleveland was generally an honest man who worked hard and tried to act independently as president. 46But he is not considered one of America's best leaders. He did not have a clear idea about how to guide the country. 47Yet the opposing party, at least, may have considered Cleveland's presidency a success. After Cleveland's final election defeat, six of the next seven presidents were Republicans. 48I'm Kelly Jean Kelly. 49Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. 50We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section. 51___________________________________________________ 52___________________________________________________ 53Words in This Story 54widow - n. a woman whose husband has died 55immoral - adj. not morally good or right : morally evil or wrong 56tariffs - n. a tax on goods coming into or leaving a country 57captivate - v. to attract and hold the attention of someone by being interesting or pretty 58trustee - n. a member of a group that manages the money of an organization