Donald Trump looks all set to once again become the president of the United States. Almost certain to enter the White House soon, he has etched his name in history books and become only the second person to ever become president in two non-consecutive terms.
This happened after more than 130 years when Stephen Grover Cleveland became the president for a second time in 1893 to 1897 after serving his first term from 1885 to 1889. He was the 22nd and the 24th president of the US.
He was only one of two Democrats to reach the White House at a time when Republicans dominated the political scene. He became the first Democrat to win the presidency after the Civil War. Woodrow Wilson came after him and was the only other Democrat to become president between 1869 and 1933.
He became the mayor of Buffalo in 1881 and was chosen as the governor of New York in 1882. American conservatives looked up to him due to his policies and he was praised for his commitment to the principles of classical liberalism and for being an honest man. He fought against political corruption, patronage, and bossism.
A leading group of Republicans called “Mugwumps” who wanted reform and were not happy with their own candidate, former US House Speaker James G. Blaine, crossed party lines to denounce Blaine as corrupt and supported Cleveland in the 1884 presidential election. They weren’t concerned that he belonged to the opposition party, and saw him as a kindred soul who would promote civil service reform and fight for efficiency in government.
Angry Republicans dug into his past and alleged that Cleveland had fathered an illegitimate child while he was a lawyer in Buffalo. They started chanting “Ma, Ma, where’s my Pa?” in their rallies.
He admitted to paying child support in 1874 to a woman named Maria Crofts Halpin who said that he was the father of her child.
Nevertheless, Cleveland won and the chant, “Ma, Ma …” became a hit among his supporters, who added “Gone to the White House. Ha! Ha! Ha!” to it.
Watch: US Elections 2024: Donald Trump Wins Florida and 24 Other States
He lost the 1888 elections to Republican Benjamin Harrison. When he and his wife, Frances Cleveland were leaving the White House, she prophetically told a staff member, “Now, Jerry, I want you to take good care of all the furniture and ornaments in the house, for I want to find everything just as it is now, when we come back again.”
The staff member asked her when were they returning, to which she said, “We are coming back four years from today.”
And so, Cleveland was once again nominated by the Democratic Party in 1892, winning his next term.
He served as a trustee of Princeton University after his term ended and passed away in 1908 following an illness.
Anamica Singh
Anamica Singh started her career as a sports journalist and then moved on to writing on entertainment, news and lifestyle. She dabbles in copy editing, vid
viewMore
