President Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms, the first from 1885 to1889, and the second from 1893 to 1897. He lost his first bid for reelection but managed to win just four years later. Cleveland was admired by conservatives for his economic policies and for his support of political reform. In his second term, Cleveland was faced with the Panic of 1893, an extremely difficult economic recession and with a nationwide railroad strike known as the Pullman Strike of 1894. Cleveland was a direct ancestor to one of the first families to immigrate to the New Word.
They traveled across the ocean from England and settled in Massachusetts in 1635. He was also known for his knack for public speaking, his biographer describes him in the following words: “He possessed honesty, courage, firmness, independence, and common sense. But he possessed them to a degree other men do not”. Although his second term was more challenging, Grover Cleveland is still considered one of the better presidents the country has had.
Ford’s First Assassination Attempt
President Ford had only recently been appointed commander and chief when Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme tried to end his life with a Colt M1911 revolver.
Luckily the gun didn’t actually fire, and the secret service apprehended the shooter and safely evacuated the president. Soon after, it was revealed that Fromme was part of Charles Manson’s nefarious cult.
Ford’s Second Assassination Attempt
Only 17 days later, another woman tried to take out President Ford. Her name was Sara Jane Moore and she was reportedly mentally unstable. She pulled out a gun and tried to shoot the president but an ex-marine who was at the scene moved her arm and went on to restrain her.
Unfortunately, the bullet did hit a taxi driver but luckily he survived. Read on to find out who is the next president on our list.
Cleveland’s Marriage
In his personal life, Grover Cleveland did what no other American president has ever done, he got married when he was already in the White House. He married a much younger woman named Frances Folsom Preston when she was only 21 – 28 years his junior.
The American public didn’t seem to mind the age gap. They found the president’s new wife to be very mature and felt that they were a good match.
Ulysses S. Grant
The 18th president of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, was the Union Army’s commanding general during the Civil War. He was one of the most popular presidents during his time in office between the years 1869 and 1877. Grant attended West Point and found himself in combat in the Mexican-American War just a few years later. The war began his rise to fame and helped him to become one of the youngest presidents in history, being sworn in at the age of 47.
Grant owes his high score to his morality, excellent foreign relations, and good rhetorical ability, which often swayed the public and his pursuit for equal justice for all Americans. He was known as an honest president, the first to appoint African Americans and Jewish Americans to higher office, and as a man who opposed the KKK publicly and vehemently.