Grover Cleveland essays

Grover Cleveland essays Grover Cleveland was born March 18th, 1837 in Caldwell, New Jersey. He was the fifth child in the family of four brothers and five sisters. His fathers name is Richard Falley Cleveland, who was a Presbyterian minister and relative to the founder of Cleveland Ohio. Grovers mother, Ann Neal Cleveland was the daughter of a publisher. The family had little money and moved frequently. He attended schools such as Fayetteville and Clinton, New York, and began working at the age of 14 as a clerk for Fayetteville general store. When Grover was 16, his father died, leaving him and his brothers to support their mother and sisters. Cleveland joined with an older brother of his who was teaching at the New York Institution for the blind and worked there for a year. At 17 years old, Grover decided to head west for more opportunities. He wanted to settle in Cleveland Ohio, but instead stopped at Buffalo N.Y. to see his mothers uncle. His uncle persuaded him to stay and Grover worked with him for six months. Afterwards he decided to be a lawyer. He worked as a clerk in the law office of Rogers Bowen, and studied there. Working hard for $4.00 a week, which had to pay for room board at the home of a fellow clerk. Two of Grovers brothers served in the Union Army during the Civil War, Cleveland had to stay and support his mother and sisters. Cleveland entered in the politics scene as a ward worker for the Democratic Party in Buffalo. He served as a ward supervisor in 1862 and as an assistant district attorney of Erie County. Was elected sheriff in 1870. The city of Buffalo at the time had a corrupt administration. As demand for improvement grew, the quicker Grover was elected to run as mayor in 1881. Cleveland vetoed so many padded city contracts that he became known as the veto mayor. Clevelands reputation for good government made him a national figure. The Republ ...