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Higher Office(s) Served: President

GROVER CLEVELAND, the thirty-first governor of New York and the twenty-second and twenty-fourth president of the United States, was born in Caldwell, New Jersey on March 18, 1837. His education was attained in the public schools of Fayetteville, New York, where his family moved to in 1840. He went on to study law, and in 1859 was admitted to the bar. After establishing his legal career, Cleveland entered into politics. In 1862 he was elected Buffalo's ward supervisor. He also served as the Erie County assistant district attorney from 1863 to 1865; was sheriff of Erie County from 1871 to 1873; and served as mayor of Buffalo from 1882 to 1883. Cleveland next secured the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, and was elected governor by a popular vote on November 7, 1882. During his tenure, the New York and West Shore Railroad was completed; a state civil service commission was established; and economic reform was endorsed. On January 6, 1885 Cleveland resigned from the governorship, having been elected to the U.S. presidency, an office he held from 1885 to 1889 and 1893 to 1897. After leaving the White House, Cleveland retired from political life. He stayed active, devoting his time between writing and lecturing. Governor Grover Cleveland passed away on June 22, 1908, and was buried in the Princeton Cemetery in Princeton, New Jersey.

Sources:

Sobel, Robert, and John Raimo, eds. Biographical Directory of the Governors of the United States, 1789-1978, Vol. 3, Westport, Conn.; Meckler Books, 1978. 4 vols.

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