The Presidential Campaign of 1884 was one of its dirtiest in American History. The Democrats marched forth in the campaign jeering the Republican candidate “Blaine, Blaine, James G. Blaine, The continental Liar from the State of Maine!” Their own candidate, Grover Cleveland, was a man of unquestioned integrity. A lawyer from Buffalo, New York, he was the “fighting Mayor” in 1882 who cleaned up corruption. In 1883, he was the reform Governor of New York who took on the machine politicians of Tammany Hall. “Grover the Good,” the Democrats called him, convinced of their coming Presidential victory. Their confidence was jolted when a Buffalo newspaper exploded a bombshell. The article revealed how Cleveland had been intimate some twelve years earlier with a widow named Maria Halpin, resulting in a child; that Cleveland acknowledged paternity and provided financial support. The child went to an orphanage and the mother to an asylum – driven there by “foul and forcible means.” Newspaper cartoonists throughout the country had a field day. The Republicans, sensing victory, turned the scandal into a naughty song:
“Ma! Ma. Where’s my pa? Gone to the White House, Ha! Ha! Ha!”
In truth, both Grover and his law partner Oscar Folsum had been intimate with Maria. Being uncertain as to paternity, Maria covered both paternal possibilities by naming the child Oscar Folsum Cleveland. Since Oscar was a married man, Grover, a bachelor, remained silent about his partner and took full responsibility. When the article appeared, Grover wired his campaign manager, “Whatever you say, tell the truth.” Every major newspaper carried Grover’s response. He admitted that he had an illicit relationship with Mrs. Halpin, that a child was born and given his name. There was no proof, he stated, that he was the father as other men were involved. He did the honorable thing, he said, by assuming responsibility and finding a respectable home for the orphan. It was not true, he continued, that the mother had been forced into an asylum as her present whereabouts were unknown, (She later remarried and moved to New Rochelle, New York.) Cleveland never proposed marriage to her, and concluded, that he had revealed the truth. Leading clergymen urged forgiveness for Glover. Regaining their optimism, Democrats on election eve sang defiantly:
“Hurrah for Maria, Hurrah for the kid; We voted for Grover, And we’re damned glad we did.”
Cleveland narrowly defeated Blaine by 23,000 votes but won the electoral votes 219 to 182. Grover lost re-election four years later to Benjamin Harrison, although winning the popular vote by over 100,000 votes. In 1892, Cleveland won re-election handily over Harrison and became the only person to serve two non-consecutive terms as President. Grover the Good should have served as a lesson for all future politicians.
Sources: The Patriot Post, Jeff Jacoby, Pundicity, Feb. 19, 2015, “Could ‘Grover the Good’ win the White House today,”: Wikipedia, “Grover Cleveland,”: Whitehouse.gov, “Grover Cleveland,”: Presidents Day: “Grover Cleveland, the most honest,”.
