The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of American Presidents: Part 10

All too often, American presidents are generalized. This one was good, this one was bad, or all of them were bad before or after this point. In reality, each President has positive or negative aspects that may be frequently overlooked. Sometimes what seemed good at the time is not so good in retrospect, or what was controversial would be accepted today. In this series, we'll look at the highlights of each President from the founding of America to today.

In Part 9, we looked at the presidencies of Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, and Chester A. Arthur. We now continue with two more presidents, Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison.

22. Grover Cleveland (in office March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1897, then March 4, 1885 – March 4, 1889)

Full name was Stephen Grover Cleveland.

Served as Sheriff of Erie County New York.

Served as Mayor of Buffalo, New York.

Served as Governor of New York.

While governor, cooperated with state assembly minority leader Theodore Roosevelt to focus on reform measures.

Led a contingent of Democrats referred to as "Bourbon Democrats" who were pro-business, anti-tariff, pro states' rights, pro gold standard, and anti American imperialism. They were also against government subsidies and inflation, focusing on fiscal conservatism and government accountability and reform.

Known for being honest and straightforward.

A crusader against government corruption, particular political bosses and political machines, which were already common in New York City and New York state, he gained support from reform-minded Republicans (referred to at the time as "mugwumps").

In 1895, after he left office, he became the first president to be filmed.

Achievements in office

First Democrat to be elected President after the Civil War.

Created the Interstate Commerce Commission, to regulate trade between states, in particular transport of goods via rail and the assurance of fair prices.

Elected as a bachelor, Cleveland courted and married a young woman when he was in office. He was the second president to get married while in office, and the first (and so far only) one to actually get married in the White House. His wife, 21 at the time of their marriage, remains the youngest First Lady in history. The two had 5 children, one of whom, Ruth, died at a young age after contracting diptheria. The "Baby Ruth" candy bar is named after her.

First president to be elected to two nonconsecutive terms (Donald J. Trump is now the second).

In the 1892 election, won the popular and electoral election, reclaiming the presidency from Benjamin Harrison, who defeated him in 1888.

In 1893, Cleveland was diagnosed with a form of cancer in his mouth. To avoid public concern, it was announced that Cleveland would be going on a river cruise vacation. While on the boat, surgeons removed parts of Cleveland's jaw and hard palate, going in through his mouth to avoid cutting into his face in any visible way. The removed areas were replaced with hard rubber, and he made a speaking appearance shortly thereafter. To account for any swelling or changes in speech, the press was told he had two bad teeth removed.

While they didn't enter the Union until shortly after his second term ended, Montana, Washington, North Dakota, and South Dakota were approved to form state governments prior to attaining statehood, 10 days before Cleveland's term ended. He also signed Congress's approval to allow Utah to apply for statehood.

Failures

When he ran for reelection in 1888 he won the popular vote but lost the electoral vote, and thus the election, to challenger Benjamin Harrison.

The Panic of 1893 began just before Harrison's second term began, continuing until almost the end of his term. It was the worst economic crisis until the Great Depression of the 1930s, largely blamed on Democrats, and resulting in a Republican landslide in the elections of 1894. It also resulted in a shift in power within the Democrat party.

Controversies

Under the conditions of the Conscription Act of 1863, Cleveland chose to pay a fee and have someone else (a Polish immigrant) serve in the army in the Civil War in his place.

While serving as Sheriff of Erie County, Cleveland began courting a widow, who later accused him of raping her. It remains unclear if he actually did rape her or if the relations were consensual. Cleveland also claimed the woman was an alcoholic and had her child removed from her custody. He had the woman put in an asylum, but she was released after 5 days because she was not insane. He continued to pay for the care of the child, which became a problem for him in his first presidential campaign, when he was called immoral, as it was alleged that he fathered the woman's child. Cleveland did at some point acknowledge he was the child's father.

Vetoed claims for pensions and benefits for Civil War veterans over and over again. Veterans were entitled to pensions, but if they were denied these pensions, they could appeal. Cleveland believed if their pensions were initially denied, he was not in a position to grant them.

Vetoed the Texas Seed Bill, in which Congress sought to donate $100,000 worth of seeds to Texas farmers who were struggling during a drought. He said he saw no provision in the Constitution for such relief.

He made no efforts to continue post-war reconstruction of the South, or enforcement of the 15th Amendment, guaranteeing voting rights to blacks. He considered these things a failed experiment.

While he decried the exclusion of Chinese immigrants that predated his presidency, Cleveland believed Chinese immigrants were not assimilating well in America, so he agreed to extend their exclusion, and prevented immigrants who had left America from returning.

An anti-imperialist, Cleveland resisted American control of Hawaii, launching an investigation into the 1893 coup of the queen of Hawaii. He supported restoring her to power and Hawaiian independence.

Critics said he lacked imagination and seemed overwhelmed by economic turmoil. Also, while he was a man of principle and conviction, his actions, such as intervening in workers' strikes to keep the railroads running, angered his own party, making him severely unpopular by the end of his second term.

23. Benjamin Harrison (in office March 4, 1889 – March 4, 1893)

Great-grandson of Benjamin Harrison V, founding father and signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Grandson of 9th president William Henry Harrison.

Was an attorney and Presbyterian church leader before entering politics.

Elected Indianapolis City Attorney.

Fought in the Union Army in the Civil War, achieving the rank of colonel, then later brevet brigadier general.

Ran for governor of Indiana but was defeated.

Served a term as U.S. Senator from Indiana.

Defeated incumbent Grover Cleveland in the electoral vote to become president, though he lost the popular vote.

Achievements in office

While he served with distinction in the Civil War, he found war a "dirty, business", and, as president said, "We Americans have no commission from God to police the world."

Strengthened the Navy.

Facilitated the creation of national forest reserves.

Credited for his integrity, and his dedication to African American rights.

In his inaugural address, he said, "If our great corporations would more scrupulously observe their legal obligations and duties, they would have less call to complain of the limitations of their rights or of interference with their operations." This reflects a concern over the rising power of corporations and trusts. He later signed the Sherman Antitrust Act into law.

He believed in the Monroe Doctrine as the best standard of foreign policy, and looked for a strong navy and a merchant marine force, while believing the best way to maintain peace was to not interfere in the affairs of other nations.

He championed the passaged of the Dependent and Disability Pension Act, providing a pension for disabled veterans regardless of the cause of their disability. The pensions were paid for largely by a surplus accrued by high tariffs.

When he found that the Director of Pensions was accepting bribes and extending handouts, Harrison asked the director to resign.

Recorded his voice on a wax phonograph recording, making him the first sitting president to record his voice.

Had electricity installed in the White House.

Failures

Tried to enforce voting rights, protect the civil rights of, and secure educational funding for African Americans, but was blocked by the Senate.

When seeking reelection in 1892, was defeated by a landslide in the popular vote and electoral vote by former president Grover Cleveland.

He acted very independently in selecting his cabinet, not taking into account political alliances. While he chose good candidates, his failure to consult others in his choices cost him support very quickly.

There had been debate about establishing a bimetal currency system, in which silver would be used at the same time as gold, at the same rate, though it was worth less. Harrison signed an act that he thought would fairly end the debate, allowing silver to be used for coinage, however, the end result just depleted the nation's gold supply faster.

When Hawaii had a coup d'etat, the new government petitioned to be annexed by the United States. Harrison tried to do this, but was blocked by Congress.

Controversies

During his presidential campaign, one of Harrison's friends and supporters allegedly published a letter in the newspaper offering to bribe voters for voting for Harrison. Harrison didn't support the claim that his friend did it, nor did he deny it, or decry the action. However after the election he never spoke to his friend again.

While he made no political bargains himself, friends and colleagues who supported him did, telling him he had no idea how many of them risked going to prison on his behalf.

The Postmaster General and others bought a vacation house for Harrison's wife, which seemed like a bribe intended to gain a cabinet post from Harrison. Harrison said he had intended to buy the house for his wife, then, after the controversy was revealed, paid for the house himself.

While he lowered some tariffs, Harrison kept the tariffs at an overall high level, preferring tariffs to internal taxes, and then using the surplus from those tariffs to build infrastructure and improve things such as the Navy. Democrats were opposed to this, as were some members of the public, who were appalled that Congressional spending reached $1 billion for the first time.

The Indian Massacre at Wounded Knee occurred during Harrison's term. While he did not order the army to take the actions that resulted in 250 Native Americans dead, his Native American policy in general proved to be inept and hurtful to the Native American people.

While he had electricity installed in the White House, both Harrison and his wife often slept with the lights on because they were afraid to touch the light switches for fear of electrocution.

Next: William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt