| Burial Location | Visited | President Grave # |
| Princeton, New Jersey | June 12, 2004 | 9th Visited |
After his second term as president,
Grover Cleveland retired to
Princeton, New Jersey, where he
died in 1908. He is buried with
his family in Princeton Cemetery.
The structure atop Cleveland's
grave is influenced by Hawaiian
culture. Like many Hawaiians of
the time, he supported the islands
remaining an independent nation.
They were annexed in 1898.
*** Interesting Facts ***
* Even back in the 19th century, it was not below a political party to underhandedly slam another party's candidate. The most underhanded technique was used against Grover Cleveland as he campaigned in 1884. That year, he was running for office against James G. Blaine, a former senator who had also been the speaker of the House. In an attempt to make their candidate seem more pure, the Republicans spread a rumor that Cleveland had fathered a child illegitimately several years prior. Nobly and honestly, the governor admitted that, while he was not positive that the child was his, he had payed child support to the mother, and that it was possible he had sired the offspring. The Republicans, who had coined the phrase "Ma, Ma, where's my Pa?", were stunned when Cleveland was awarded the White House. After that, loyal Democrats rebutted the previous statement with "Gone to the White House, ha ha ha!".
* Though not the first (or last) president to marry while in office, Grover Cleveland was the only president that was married in the White House. In 1885, the president wed Frances Folsom, the daughter of one of his oldest friends. This came as a big surprise to members of the press, who suspected that Cleveland would instead marry Frances' widowed mother. After all, he and Emma Folsom had grown to be quite close, and her age was closer to the president's. Frances, on the other hand, had been born when Cleveland was in his late twenties. He became her unofficial guardian when her father passed away in 1875, and he paid for her education. Evidently, this bond made the two grow very close, and they were married during Cleveland's first term. Frances Cleveland remains to this date the youngest first lady, being awarded the title at the youthful age of twenty-one.
* Grover Cleveland holds a unique claim to fame: he is the only U.S. president to have served two nonconsecutive terms. Having lost the 1888 election to Benjamin Harrison, Cleveland went into seclusion for several years. Finally breaking his silence, Cleveland spoke out against several of the incumbent president's policies and voiced his opinions about the matters of the day. Believing that Cleveland was their man, the Democrats made him their nominee for the election of 1892. Once again pitted against Benjamin Harrison, Cleveland and his running mate were able to fend off the Republican and declare victory. Grover Cleveland served another four years as president, and became the only president to have served two terms that were not back-to-back.
* A short few months after the commencement of his second term, President Cleveland underwent a very important procedure. He had discovered that there was a rough spot at the roof of his mouth, and decided to have it checked out by a doctor. After closely examining the area, the doctor deduced that the president had a tumor and suggested that it be surgically removed as soon as possible. On a steamboat called Oneida, doctors removed the tumor in a super-secret operation. Cleveland underwent another procedure later on, and was fitted with a rubber palate. The procedure was not revealed to the public until it was published in a magazine article in 1917, over two decades since it occurred.
* Legend says that the candy bar Baby Ruth was
named after Grover Cleveland's daughter, Ruth Cleveland. However, this
is extremely far-fetched. The more likely story is that the bar is named
after baseball star Babe Ruth. The Curtiss Candy Company wanted to
rename their Kandy Kake treat after the Yankee slugger, but an
endorsement deal was never agreed upon. In the end, when the name change
was made, the company claimed that the chocolate bar was named after
President Cleveland’s daughter. However, that story is a real stretch,
as Cleveland had been out of office for nearly a quarter of a century
and his daughter died nearly two decades earlier. Still, the company was
saved from having to pay the right fielder any royalties, and Baby Ruth
still exists today.
First Lady: Frances Clara Folsom Cleveland Preston
- Spouse: Frances Clara Folsom Cleveland Preston (m. 1886-1908)
Political Party: Democratic Party
Vice President: Thomas Andrews Hendricks (1885)
Adlai Ewing Stevenson I (1893-1897)
Last Words: "I have tried so hard to do right."
