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STEPHEN GROVER CLEVELAND, the twenty-second President of the United States, was born in 1837, in the obscure town of Caldwell, Essex Co., N. J., and in a little two-and-a-half-story white house which is still standing, characteristically to mark the birth-place of one of America's great men in striking contrast with the Old World, where all men in high office must be high in origin and born in the cradle of wealth. When the subject of this sketch was but three years of age, his father, who was a Presbyterian minister, with a large family and a small salary, moved, by way of the Hudson River and Erie Canal, to Fayetteville, in search of an increased income and a larger field of work. Fayetteville was then the most straggling of country villages, about five miles from Pompey Hill, where Governor Seymour was born.
At the last mentioned place, young Grover commenced going to school in the " good, old-fashioned way," and presumably distinguished himself after the manner of all village boys, in doing the things he ought not to do. Such is the distinguishing trait of all geniuses and independent thinkers. When he arrived at the age of fourteen years, he had outgrown the capacity of the village school and expressed a most emphatic desire to be sent to an academy. To this his father decidedly objected. Academies in those days cost money ; besides, his father wanted him to become self-supporting by the quickest, possible means, and this at that time in Fayetteville seemed to be a position in a country store, where his father and the large family on his hands had considerable influence. Grover was to be paid $50 for his services the first year, and if he proved trustworthy he was to receive $100 the second year. Here the lad commenced his career as a salesman, and in two years he had earned a good reputation for trustworthiness that his employers desired to retain him for an indefinite length of time. Otherwise he did not exhibit as yet any particular " flashes of genius " or eccentricities of talent. He was simply a good boy.
But instead of remaining with this firm in Fayetteville, he went with the family in their removal to Clinton, where he had an opportunity of attending a high school. Here he industriously pursued his studies until the family removed with him to a point on Black River known as the " Holland Patent," a village of 500 or 600 people, 15 miles north of Utica, N. Y. At this place his father died, after preaching but three Sundays. This event broke up the family, and Grover set out for New York to accept at a small salary, the position of
" under-teacher " in an asylum for the blind. He taught faithfully for two years, and although he obtained a good reputation in this capacity, he concluded that teaching was not his...
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... calling for life, and, reversing the traditional order he left the city to seek his fortune, instead of going to a city. He first thought of Cleveland, Ohio, as there was some charm in that name for him ; but before proceeding to that place he went to Buffalo to ask the advice of his uncle, Lewis F. Allen, a noted stock-breeder of that place. The latter did not speak enthusiastically. " What is it you want to do, my boy?" he asked. " Well sir, I want to study law," was the reply. " Good gracious ! " remarked the old gentleman ; " do you , indeed? What ever put that into your head ? How much money have you got ? " " Well, sir, to tell the truth, I haven't got any."
After a long consultation, his uncle offered hin a place temporarily as assistant herd-keeper, at $50 a year, while he could " look around." One day soon afterward he boldly walked into the office of Rogers, Bowen & Rogers, of Buffalo, and told them what he wanted. A number of young men were already engaged in the office, but Grover's persistency won, and he was finally permitted to come as an office boy and have the use of the law library, for the nominal sum of $3 or $4 a week. Out of this he had to pay for his board and washing. The walk to and from his uncles was a long and rugged one ; and, although the first winter was a memorably severe one, his shoes were out of repair and his overcoat--he had none-- yet he was nevertheless prompt and regular. On the first day of his service here, his senior employer threw down a copy of Blackstone before him with a bang that made the dust fly, saying " That's where they all begin." A titter ran around the little circle of clerks and students, as they thought that was enough to scare young Grover out of his plans ; but in due time he mastered that cumbersome volume. Then, as ever afterward, however, Mr. Cleveland exhibited a talent for executiveness rather than for chasing principles through all their metaphysical possibilities. " Let us quit talking and go and do it," was practically his motto.
The first public office to which Mr. Cleveland was elected was that of Sheriff of Erie Co., N. Y., in which Buffalo is situated ; and in such capacity it fell to his duty to inflict capital punishment upon two criminals. In 1881 he was elected Mayor of the City of Buffalo, on the Democratic ticket, with especial reference to the bringing about certain reforms in the administration of the municipal affairs of that city. In this office, as well as that of Sheriff, his performance of duty had generally been considered fair, with possibly a few axceptions which were ferreted out and magnified during the last Presidential campaign. As a speciman of his plain language in a veto message, we quote from one vetoing an iniquitous street-cleaning contract ; " This is a time for plain speech, and my objection to your action shall be plainly stated. I regard it as the culmination of a most bare-faced, impudent and shameless scheme to betray the interests of the people and to worse than squander the people's money," The New York Sun afterward very highly commended Mr. Cleveland's administration as Mayor of Buffalo, and therefore recommended him for Governor of the Empire State. To the latter office he was elected in 1882, and his administration of the affairs of State was generally satisfactory. The mistakes he made, if any, were made very public throughout the nation after he was nominated for President of the United States. For this high office he was nominated July 11, 1884, by the National Democratic Convention at Chicago, when other competitors were Thomas F. Bayard, Roswell P. Flower, Thomas A. Hendricks, Benjamin F. Butler, Allen G. Thurman, etc.; and he was elected by the people, by a majority of about a thousand, over the brilliant and long-tried Republican statesman, James G. Blaine. President Cleveland resigned his office as Governor of New York in January, 1885, in order to prepare for his duties as the Chief Executive of the United States, in which capacity his term commenced at noon on the 4th of March, 1885. For his cabinet officers he selected the following gentleman : For Secretary of State, Thomas F. Bayard, of Delaware; Secretary of the Treasury, Daniel Manning, of New York ; Secretary of War, William C. Endicott, of Massachusetts ; Secretary of the Navy, William C. Whitney, of New York ; Secretary of the Interior, L.Q.C.Lamar, of Mississippi ; Postmaster-General, William F. Vilas, of Wisconsin ; Attorney-General, A. H. Garland, of Arkansas.
The silver question precipitated a controversy between those who were in favor of the continuance of silver coinage and those who were opposed, Mr. Cleveland answering for the latter, even before his inauguration.
