Frances Cleveland

Frances Folsom's childhood home in Buffalo, New York

Frances Folsom was born in Buffalo, New York, on July 21, 1864.[1]^: 140 She was the first child of Emma (née Harmon) and Oscar Folsom. Her only sister, Nellie Augusta, died in infancy in 1872.[2] Folsom's father Oscar was a lawyer, and he was law partners with Grover Cleveland.[3]^: 243 Because of this, Folsom and Cleveland first met when she was still an infant.[4]^: 268[5]^: 106 He was fond of her, buying her a baby carriage and doting on her as she grew up.[2] Though the Folsoms were financially secure when she was born,[6]^: 144 her father's poor finances caused them trouble as she grew.[7]^: 13

Folsom attended school at Madame Brecker's French Kindergarten and Miss Bissell's School for Young Ladies,[3]^: 245 both of which were among Buffalo's most well-regarded schools and guaranteed her an education above that of most women in her time.[6]^: 145[8] When not in school, she regularly spent time with Cleveland,[9]^: 230 known to her as "Uncle Cleve".[1]^: 140 As a child, she went by the name Frank, and she was christened under this name as a teenager. The name sometimes caused her problems when she would be assigned to boy's activities in school.[3]^: 243

Folsom's father died in a carriage accident on July 23, 1875.[7]^: 13 The court appointed Cleveland administrator of his estate,[2] and he became Folsom's unofficial guardian.[1]^: 140[4]^: 268 Folsom was sent to Medina, New York, to live with her grandmother, where she attended the Medina Academy for Boys and Girls until 1879.[6]^: 145 She eventually returned to Buffalo with her mother and moved to different boarding houses until finding a home.[7]^: 16

When Folsom was 14, she joined the Presbyterian Church, to which she would remain devoted throughout her life.[7]^: 16 She attended Central High School in Buffalo,[7]^: 16 where she was briefly engaged to a seminary student. Folsom left Central High School in October 1881, before her schooling was finished.[7]^: 17

Though Folsom had not finished school, Cleveland used his authority as the mayor of Buffalo to obtain for her a certificate of completion and entry into Wells College in Aurora, New York, as a sophomore.[7]^: 17 Here she learned etiquette and manners from Helen Fairchild Smith, and she quickly became a prominent student at the school, taking her place at the center of its social life.[7]^: 19 At Wells, she became interested in photography and political science, and she participated in the Phoenix Society debate club.[2] Folsom received two more marriage proposals at Wells, both on the same day. She accepted one of them, but it too was broken shortly afterward.[1]^: 140[3]

Cleveland, who became Governor of New York at this time, maintained correspondence with Folsom while she attended Wells. He visited her, sent her flowers,[1]^: 140 and brought her on tours of New York when her schedule permitted.[7]^: 21 Folsom was unable to attend Cleveland's presidential inauguration as it conflicted with her final exams, but she visited him at the White House during spring break some weeks later.[3]^: 247 Washington, D.C., left a positive impression on her, and she accompanied the new president on his nightly walks in the East Room while she stayed at the White House.[7]^: 23 Folsom was also permitted to ascend the Washington Monument before its opening, where she met former White House hostess Harriet Lane.[3]^: 247

Folsom graduated from Wells on June 20, 1885,[7]^: 3 and she spent the summer at her grandfather's home in Wyoming County, New York.[10] Cleveland proposed marriage by letter in August 1885, while Folsom was visiting a friend in Scranton, Pennsylvania.[1]^: 140[3]^: 248 After accepting, Folsom accompanied her mother and her cousin on a year-long tour of Europe.[3]^: 248 Despite Folsom's eagerness to wed, her mother and her future groom both insisted that she take the opportunity to travel and contemplate her future before marriage.[3]^: 248[6]^: 145 Everyone involved agreed to keep the planned wedding a secret,[4]^: 269 and the president's sister Rose Cleveland served as White House hostess in the meantime.[4]^: 266 Rumors of their engagement were initially dismissed as gossip, as speculation of the president's love life was common. Popular gossip considered Frances' mother to be a more likely partner.[6]^: 146[5]^: 106[11]^: 167 These rumors were emboldened after reporters caught up with the Folsoms and found them shopping for a wedding gown.[3]^: 249[4]^: 269

By the time of the Folsoms' return voyage, reporters were tracking their whereabouts, and they were forced to board their ship home in secret.[3]^: 249 They were greeted by the press upon returning to the United States, and rumors of Cleveland's interest were seemingly confirmed when representatives of the president took the Folsoms away. It was only the next night that the White House officially announced that the president intended to marry Frances Folsom.[9]^: 250 Cleveland visited Folsom in New York while he was in the city attending a Decoration Day parade on May 30, 1886,[3]^: 250 and the Folsom women took a train to Washington, D.C., on June 1.[1]^: 141 Media attention quickly turned Folsom into a celebrity.[9]^: 253

"The President's Wedding" by Thure de Thulstrup

The wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom took place in the Blue Room of the White House on June 2, 1886.[9]^: 253 The president wished for a quiet wedding, so only 31 guests were invited,[1]^: 141 and the press was explicitly denied entry.[9]^: 253 Hundreds of spectators gathered outside of the White House to celebrate.[7]^: 9 It was the first wedding to see a president married in the White House itself,[1]^: 141 and it inaugurated Frances Cleveland as the youngest presidential spouse in American history.[3]^: 250 She was 21 years old, and her groom was 49.[4]^: 269 After their wedding, the Clevelands went on honeymoon for a week in Deer Park, Maryland.[1]^: 141 Here they were closely followed by reporters who intruded on their privacy.[7]^: 25 After returning to the White House, they held two wedding receptions, one of which was open to the public.[3]^: 251

Cleveland in a formal gown (1886)

Frances Cleveland was immediately popular as first lady, attracting unprecedented publicity. Such was the attention that the Clevelands chose not to use the living quarters of the White House. Instead, they moved to their private residence, the "Red Top", to escape from the public and the media.[1]^: 142[5]^: 106 Each evening, the couple drove to their private home to oversee improvements.[3]^: 251 Cleveland worked with socialite Flora Payne to better prepare for a role in high society.[7]^: 29 She also became close friends with poet Richard Watson Gilder and his wife Helena de Kay Gilder, and she would accompany them in meeting prominent writers of the time.[7]^: 40–44 She stayed involved with Wells College as well, taking a seat on its board of trustees in 1887.[1]^: 143

Cleveland maintained an openness with the public that was not shared by her husband or by her predecessor Rose Cleveland.[4]^: 270[7]^: 31 To accommodate all that wished to visit the White House, she hosted many social events on Saturdays to ensure that they did not conflict with the schedules of working women.[5]^: 107 Cleveland received countless letters from the American people, many of them asking her to influence the president's granting of patronage jobs. She read all of the mail that she received, though she sought assistance from the president's secretaries in replying,[7]^: 39 eventually hiring her friend Minnie Alexander as a personal secretary.[1]^: 142 Her openness extended to the White House staff as well, with whom she maintained close relationships.[12]

Cleveland was credited with an increase in the president's sociability after their marriage. The president set aside time in his busy schedule to be with his wife, attending the theater and going on carriage rides.[7]^: 30 While Cleveland had considerable influence in their home life, she had little involvement in the political aspects of her husband's administration.[11]^: 170 Her popularity nonetheless served her husband's administration well. Many of the president's political opponents acknowledged the difficulty of attacking the administration when the first lady had such support, and critics were careful not to attack her directly lest they provoke backlash. She was once even sent as the president's representative during the Great Tariff Debate of 1888 to quietly observe from the visitors' gallery.[9]^{: 262–263}

In 1887, the Clevelands toured the United States. Frances endured a severe insect bite and a black eye, and she spent so much time shaking hands that she needed to use an ice pack each night.[1]^: 142 Crowds of people became a constant on their trip, often preventing their carriage from moving.[3]^: 253 Their visit to Chicago was attended by about 100,000 people, with the crowd becoming so large that Cleveland had to be taken away by aides for her own safety while police and soldiers attempted to control the crowd.[3]^: 252 Cleveland avoided such publicized appearances for the rest of her time as first lady.[3]^: 253

Toward the end of the president's first term, opponents began crafting rumors to diminish her reputation.[9]^: 265 One rumor suggested that Grover was abusive toward Frances. In response, Frances praised her husband and harshly condemned the rumor as a political smear.[4]^: 270 For the first lady to speak so openly about such a topic was unprecedented.[5]^: 107 Another rumor suggested that she was unfaithful to her husband, having an affair with newspaper editor Henry Watterson.[2] She remained a prominent figure when her husband sought reelection in the 1888 presidential election. The 1888 Democratic National Convention was the first such convention in which a first lady was recognized during a speech.[9]^: 267

Cleveland with her husband and Elias Cornelius Benedict on the Oneida steam-yacht in 1890

Cleveland's tenure as first lady ended after her husband lost his reelection campaign, but she prophetically informed the staff that they would return the following term. The Clevelands left the White House, sold the Red Top house, and moved to Madison Avenue in New York.[1]^: 143 Cleveland struggled with the transition from public to private life, having never run a private household of her own.[7]^: 62 She underwent a period of depression over the following months, and she retreated to the Gilders' cottage in Marion, New York.[7]^: 66 The Clevelands found a cottage to rent in the area,[3]^: 255 and they eventually purchased the Gray Gables summer home in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, where the couple would develop their own private home life. Here they would often host close friends, including the Gilders and actor Joseph Jefferson. Cleveland found comfort in this house, where she and her husband could lead a relatively normal life.[7]^: 72

Despite no longer being the first lady, Cleveland remained in the public spotlight.[9]^: 273 In between her tenures as first lady, Cleveland took on charity work and grew more involved in New York social life through her charitable projects.[7]^: 72 Though they occasionally worked together on these projects, Frances and Grover for the most part led separate social lives after leaving the White House.[7]^: 66 Among the charitable work that she worked on was the promotion of kindergartens in New York, serving as the vice president of Gilder's New York Kindergarten Association.[7]^: 70 Frances received further attention when she became a mother with the birth of Ruth Cleveland in 1891.[9]^: 273 She dedicated herself to the child and took up work that was often performed by a nurse.[7]^: 74

Grover ran for president again in the 1892 presidential election. Despite his misgivings, Frances' image was often used prominently in campaign material.[1]^: 144 Her social connections and press coverage were valuable for the Cleveland campaign in New York; her charity work in the state and her friendship with the Gilders enabled the Clevelands to build connections with New York's Four Hundred society and helped win over disaffected Republicans. These factors contributed to Grover winning in his home state, which he had failed to do in 1888. Nonetheless, he disapproved of any involvement his wife had in the political aspects of his career.[7]^: 77–78 After Grover was reelected president, the Clevelands left their home on Madison Avenue, spending the period before the inauguration living on 51st Street next door to their friend Elias Cornelius Benedict and then in Lakewood, New Jersey.[3]^: 255

Cleveland in February 1897

The Clevelands returned to the White House on March 4, 1893.[7]^: 80 Just as her husband was the only man to ever hold the presidency for two non-consecutive terms, Frances became the only first lady to return to the position.[9]^: 274 She was more apprehensive of taking the role for a second time, now being aware of all that it entailed.[7]^: 83[9]^: 275 Her routine largely resembled that of her first tenure, including her evening drives with the president[7]^: 82 and her Saturday receptions.[9]^: 275 She also continued her work in the establishment of kindergartens[7]^: 82 and became involved with the Home for Friendless Colored Girls, visiting the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church with the group in 1896.[4]^: 271

The Clevelands were upset at the extent of press and public attention focused on their daughter Ruth, and they controversially had the White House closed to the public while they were present.[1]^: 144 They purchased another private residence, Woodley, where they could live away from the White House.[1]^: 144 Harassment from the public continued at their new residence, and Cleveland was particularly frightened by an incident in 1894 when three men were stalking their home. Fearing for her children's safety, she had the local police station post a guard at their home, choosing not to worry her husband with the news.[9]^: 278

Cleveland became increasingly protective of her husband during his second term—a reversal of their relationship in his first term. The president's work grew more difficult as the Panic of 1893 set in, and Cleveland found herself tending to her husband.[9]^: 276 The president's health was in decline during his second term, and his wife became increasingly responsible for his well-being, encouraging him to exert himself less.[6]^: 149 When it became apparent that the president had cancer, she took responsibility for keeping his condition a secret and tending to his health, despite her pregnancy, which at this time was in its seventh month. She provided excuses for his absences and wrote letters on his behalf, insisting that he was merely suffering from rheumatism.[9]^: 276

Cleveland had two more children as first lady: Esther Cleveland in 1893 and Marion Cleveland in 1895. Much of her time was dedicated to raising her three children.[1]^: 144 She would even play on the floor with her children, to the shock of the servants who had never before seen a first lady act in such a manner.[9]^: 277 Cleveland also took an interest in German culture and the German language during her husband's second term, learning the language and hiring a German nurse so her children would learn the language as well.[7]^: 104 She still made time for her hostess duties, receiving the familiar crowds that she had encountered during her previous time as first lady. She also received heads of state, including one instance in which she disregarded precedent by meeting with Infanta Eulalia of Spain at her hotel.[1]^: 144 She was not nearly as active, however, hosting only one reception in the 1894 social season.[7]^: 99

Three thousand people attended the first lady's final Saturday reception to shake her hand.[9]^: 281 Cleveland wept as she left the White House,[6]^: 149 personally saying goodbye to each member of the White House staff.[7]^: 107 This organized farewell would be replicated by future first ladies, becoming a tradition.[12] Despite her emotional departure, she later expressed relief that she was no longer first lady, remembering the rumors and falsehoods that surrounded her.[9]^: 300

Much of Cleveland's fame and media coverage focused on her appearance and her fashion,[3]^: 258 and her fashion choices were widely imitated by women throughout the United States.[1]^: 142[5]^: 106 These included her hairstyle, a low knot over a shaved nape, which became known as the á la Cleveland.[9]^: 253 Her fashion choices and purchases influenced the behavior of consumers, and products she reportedly used enjoyed an increase in popularity. An article published by the Atlanta Constitution falsely stated that she no longer purchased bustles, causing a decline in their popularity.[11]^{: 173–174}[4]^: 270 The Woman's Christian Temperance Union wrote to her requesting that she dress more modestly, fearing that she was setting a poor example. She declined to do so.[1]^: 143

Cleveland's immense popularity led to the extensive use of her image in advertising, and many products falsely claimed to have her endorsement. It became such a problem that a bill was introduced to Congress that would establish personality rights for women and criminalize the unauthorized use of a person's image, but the bill did not pass.[9]^{: 263–264} Cleveland updated her fashion choices during her husband's second term. Reflecting the trends of the Gay Nineties, she wore tight gowns, feather boas, and picture hats.[9]^: 275 News articles on her activities continued to reference her sense of fashion in her old age.[7]^: 162

Though she was personally interested in politics, Cleveland did not publicly support political causes while serving as first lady,[5]^: 107[6]^: 148 and the Clevelands condemned the Frances Cleveland Influence Clubs that formed in 1892.[11]^: 170 One exception to her avoidance of politics was her interest in the political situation of the Republic of Hawaii, where she endorsed the restoration of monarchy with Princess Ka'iulani's claim to the throne as the heir apparent.[2] She also supported the temperance movement, personally abstaining from alcohol and donating to the Woman's Christian Temperance Union,[1]^: 142 though she was unwilling to impose these beliefs on others and continued to serve wine at White House receptions.[5]^: 107

Instead of political activism, she worked with charity groups, including the Needlework Guild, which made clothes for the poor,[1]^: 142 and the Christmas Club and the Colored Christmas Club, which gave gifts to children during the holiday season.[4]^: 271 Cleveland's activism focused heavily on the arts, and she was a supporter of international copyright protections, attending a convention on the subject while first lady in 1888.[7]^: 50–51 She also provided charitable support, sponsoring many aspiring musicians.[9]^: 259

Cleveland supported women's education and believed it to be an important step in gender equality.[1]^: 143[9]^: 260 She opposed women's suffrage, though she did not comment on the controversial issue during her tenure as first lady.[9]^: 260 Like many female anti-suffragists of her generation, she felt that involvement in politics was an unfortunate duty to be avoided and that it risked women's control of the domestic sphere.[7]^{: 134–135} Despite this, she chose to vote in elections after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.[7]^{: 135–136}