Profile of the Day: Grover Cleveland

Posted March 18, 2022 by Amanda | No Comment

Are you related to a U.S. President? On March 18, 1837, Grover Cleveland was born in Caldwell, New Jersey.

Image: Grover Cleveland / National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution CC0

Stephen Grover Cleveland was the fifth of nine children born to Ann Neal and Richard Falley Cleveland, a pastor. Known as “Big Steve” by friends because of his size, Cleveland dropped his first name and became known as Grover as an adult.

His great grandfather, Richard Falley, Jr., fought at the Battle of Bunker Hill. During the American Revolutionary War, Falley made guns at an armory in Massachusetts for the Continental Army. Grover was also a distant cousin of Moses Cleaveland, the founder of Cleveland, Ohio. They were third cousins trice removed.

Cleveland served as the 22nd and 24th President of the United States and is the only President in history to serve non-consecutive terms. He is also the only President to marry in the White House. In 1886, Cleveland married Frances Folsom in the Blue Room at the White House. At 21-years old, Folsom was the youngest First Lady in history. The couple would have five children together.

Cleveland died on June 24, 1908 at the age of 71.

Explore Grover Cleveland’s family tree and share how you’re connected to the former President!