Grover Cleveland

Everyone loves an anti-corruption candidate, right? Grover Cleveland was shaping up to be a historically accomplished President, rising from Mayor of Buffalo to President in just 3 years. The first and only Democratic to serve as President post-Lincoln in the 19th century, his party affiliation was a tough sell at a time where voter turnout was at a record high. In order to win voters, Cleveland had to draw a profound distinction between himself and a dominant Republican party. He found his silver bullet with the issue of rampant corruption that existed in almost every Presidential and local office that preceded him, and he capitalized on a small but impressive record of reshaping the status quo of the political machines that had been dominating politics in his home state of New York.

The unprecedented rise of Grover Cleveland is overshadowed by his underwhelming fall, though, and makes for another great case study to understand what character traits and strategies translate to an effective Presidency. Do voters value a President that is hard-lined and consistent or pragmatic and reactionary? Ultimately, it depends, but for any President who serves two terms (even non-consecutively), they will inevitably have to manage a crisis and break from their original policy agenda. Unpacking Cleveland’s Presidency provides a good conversation into what can happen when a President decides to put their personal political values (however noble they may think they may be) above the needs of Americans the position is meant to serve.

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