Unknown Always

Grover Cleveland might be the biggest president that this nation has ever had – literally. He was a large man, both in height and belly. He was born on March 18, 1837.

He really didn’t mean to get into politics. He was asked in 1881 to run for mayor of Buffalo. When he won, he used his power to take over Tammany Hall. He won the presidential election in 1884. In his next run for office, however, Mr. Cleveland seemed to have bitten off more then he could chew.

There was a scandal that he had a child out of wedlock – something that wasn’t a very good thing to do. He didn’t deny it, and his loyal supporters came through for him. He became president again in 1892. He became the only president to serve nonconsecutive terms.

Aside from the child-out-of-wedlock, Cleveland is perhaps best known for his inability to make up his mind.

While perhaps it may not be the biggest scandal ever to hit, he was unable to make up his mind on racial issues and foreign policy.

His ideas changed depending on which group one belonged to. He felt sorry for the Chinese. He thought Native Americans should assimilate as quickly as they could. He also didn’t want the African Americans to be treated as they should as social and political equals. He was very careful not to anger the woman’s suffragists, though he never once supported women’s rights to vote.

He was able to violate the Monroe Doctrine. His behavior was widely inconsistent. Perhaps his greatest offence was his interference between Venezuela and Britain. This is how he was able to violate the Monroe Doctrine.

Cleveland was a man. He was human, and he made mistakes like all humans do. There was no real action taken against him. Perhaps his actions made this a better world. Perhaps not. It surely made life more interesting.

It is often asked if the White House still has the special made bathtub for the giant president. Again, it just isn’t known.