Frances Clara Cleveland Preston (ne Folsom, christened as Frank Clara; July 21, 1864 October 29, 1947) was the first lady of the United States from 1886 to 1889, and again from 1893 to 1897, as the wife of President Grover Cleveland. Leave a message for others who see this profile. Most observers seemed to agree that Cleveland bore some degree of guilt. When her father died in 1875, Grover became her unofficial guardian. [7]:134 In the 1928 presidential election, she gave her only political endorsement to someone other than her first husband, endorsing Al Smith for president. [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. On June 2, 1886, in an intimate ceremony held in the Blue Room of the White House, President Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom, the daughter of Clevelands late law partner and friend, Oscar Folsom. Cleveland was close to the Folsom family and, as a child . America's Forgotten Presidential Sex Scandal - Yahoo News He also vetoed many private pension bills to Civil War veterans whose claims were fraudulent. Frances Folsom Cleveland - The White House [7]:107 This organized farewell would be replicated by future first ladies, becoming a tradition. If you are experiencing difficulties logging in or are a subscriber getting a paywall, please try one or more of the following steps. When two convicted murderers were sentenced to be hanged, Cleveland chose to spring the trap himself rather than pass the . , 13 August 1884; THE CLEVELAND SCANDAL: A Fresh Scrutiny of the Charges Affecting the New York Governor. Mrs. Cleveland, who replaced Clevelands sister Rose Elizabeth as White House hostess, won immediate popularity for her good looks and unaffected charm. Ancestors. Secret Garden: Tucked Away in Parma, Seoul Garden - Cleveland Scene New bio examines the skeletons in Grover Cleveland's closet - Buffalo News Running as a reformer, he was elected mayor of Buffalo in 1881, and later, governor of New York. [13] She was the first presidential widow to remarry. Their firstborn daughter, Ruth, died of diphtheria in 1904 at their Gray Gables vacation home. [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. Lachman found no evidence that Dr. King ever met or sought his birth mother. [10] Cleveland proposed marriage by letter in August 1885, while Folsom was visiting a friend in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Charles Lachman uses these particulars to set the stage for a biography of the nation's 22nd and 24th president. He held this post from the year 1870 to1873. [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. SOUTH PORTLAND - Margaret Folsom Cleveland, died early Tuesday evening, August 3, 2021, under a warm summer sky at Gosnell Hospice House in Scarborough. osanquet (born Cleveland), Esther Cleveland Aka Bosanquet, Marion Cleveland, Marian Cleveland Aka Dell Amen, Richard Folsom (2w) Clevelan Stephen Grover Cleveland, Maria Cleveland (born Halpin), Ruth Cleveland, Esther Cleveland, Marion Cleveland, Maria C Cleveland, Marion Cleveland, Richard Folsom Cleveland, Francis Grover Cleveland, Stephen Grover Cleveland, Maria Crofts Halpin, Baby Ruth) Cleveland, Esther C. Bosanquet (born Cleveland), Marion Amen (born Cleveland), Richard Folsom Cleveland, Francis Grover Cleveland, Ruth Cleveland, Esther Cleveland, Marion Cleveland, Richard Folsom Cleveland, Francis Grover Cleveland, Sep 14 1874 - Buffalo, Erie, New York, United States, Mar 9 1947 - Buffalo, Erie, New York, United States, President Stephen Grover Cleveland, Maria B. Eisenhower is quoted as not recognizing her and asking where in the city she used to live, prompting her to respond that she had lived in the White House. Esther was the first, and to date the only, child of a president born in the White House. You have most probably heard of this presidential child, although you might not be aware of it. Oscar Folsom Cleveland, born 1874. Certainly, the advent of inexpensive newspapers, competition for readership, and the first newspaper chains increased the appetite for news of the children of the First Family. It may be said these stories are put in circulation for political effect, but the trouble is they cannot be refuted. [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. Vetoing a bill to appropriate $10,000 to distribute seed grain among drought-stricken farmers in Texas, he wrote: federal aid in such cases encourages the expectation of paternal care on the part of the government and weakens the sturdiness of our national character.. She would continue to use it after her cataracts were removed, translating books into braille for blind children. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Gardens and Grounds of the President's House, Explore Life & Work in the Executive Mansion. [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. Folsom met Grover Cleveland while she was an infant, as he was a friend of her father's. Halpin was a 38-year-old widow in 1874, according to the Tribune, which also reported: Halpin said that Cleveland had pursued her relentlessly, and that she finally consented to join him for a meal at the Ocean Dining Hall & Oyster House. 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. Then, years later when he was running for president, Cleveland, through an emissary, offered Halpin $10,000 to refute newspaper stories that she bore his illegitimate child. The Clevelands left the White House, sold the Red Top house, and moved to Madison Avenue in New York. He won the election with a slim margin. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples, including the Nacotchtank and What are some interesting facts about presidents and first ladies? Cleveland did not care for the extravagance of the Washington social scene; he asked his sister, Rose, to accompany him to the White House to serve as its hostess early on in his administration. [3]:252 Cleveland avoided such publicized appearances for the rest of her time as first lady. Cleveland did not care for the extravagance of the Washington social scene; he asked his sister, Rose, to accompany him to the White House to serve as its hostess early on in his administration. [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. [7]:59 A 1982 poll placed her 13th out of 42, though the 2008 edition of the poll placed her 20th of 38. [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. 2008 - 2023 INTERESTING.COM, INC. Writing to the Buffalo Evening Telegraph in the fall of 1884, Pastor Henry W. Crabbe, of that citys United Presbyterian Church, condemned Cleveland resolutely: I am very sorry to say that he is a corrupt, licentious man. Ha!". 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. [5]:108 After their marriage, the Prestons went on honeymoon in Florida. A Secret Life: The Sex, Lies, and Scandals of President Grover Cleveland. CONTENT MAY BE COPYRIGHTED BY WIKITREE COMMUNITY MEMBERS. [9]:267, 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. All Rights Reserved. , 11 August 1884; THE CHARGES SWEPT AWAY, , 12 August, 1884; CORROBORATION. [7]:4044 She stayed involved with Wells College as well, taking a seat on its board of trustees in 1887. Brother of Frances Folsom Cleveland, First Lady and Nellie Augusta Folsom. He forced them to return 81,000,000 acres. For instance, how he married -- in the White House -- a woman 27 years his junior. Nonetheless, he disapproved of any involvement his wife had in the political aspects of his career. Immediate Family: Son of Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President of the USA and Maria Crofts Cleveland. [5]:107 Another rumor suggested that she was unfaithful to her husband, having an affair with newspaper editor Henry Watterson. Death: Immediate Family: Son of Oscar Folsom and Emma Cornelia Folsom. Frances Folsom was the only daughter of Emma . He was New York governor when he first ran for president and the scandal of his illegitimate child seeped into the national press. She died in 1947 and was buried alongside her first husband in Princeton Cemetery. When visited by a Telegraph reporter last week he said that he remembered Maria Halpin well. Stewart McLaurin, President of the Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr., the nations only unelected president and vice president, served thirteen terms in Congress before rising to From First Lady Dolley Madison's sister Lucy Payne Washington's wedding in 1812 to the nuptials of President Joseph Biden and First Over 200 years ago, James Hoban left Ireland for America to pursue his dream of becoming an architect. In 1870 Cleveland's law partner, Oscar Folsom, helped him become the Democratic sheriff of Erie County. Birthplace: Buffalo, NY, United States. As the only unmarried man of the bunch, Cleveland, though not certain the child was his, claimed paternity and helped Halpin name the boy and place him with a caring family. Nevertheless, newspapers ran with the story, and it was only a matter of time before reporters discovered Halpins whereabouts. C > Cleveland | K > King > Oscar Folsom (Cleveland) King, Categories: US President Direct Descendant | Children of US Presidents, WIKITREE HOME | ABOUT | G2G FORUM | HELP | SEARCH. Probably no prior presidential children were watched, followed, or written about as were Grover Clevelands. [7]:62 She underwent a period of depression over the following months, and she retreated to the Gilders' cottage in Marion, New York. Oscar Folsom Cleveland, (September 1874 - ? Lachman, Charles (2011). Lee Coppola is a well-traveled Buffalo journalist, a former federal prosecutor and most recently was the dean of St. Bonaventure University's Jandoli Journalism School. Cookie Settings. He finally settled in Tamworth, New Hampshire, where he operated a summer stock company called the Barnstormers. He says she was brought to the asylum without warrant or form of law. She was widowed in 1908, and she married Thomas J. Preston Jr. in 1913. [1]:140[3]:248 After accepting, Folsom accompanied her mother and her cousin on a year-long tour of Europe. Oscar was born one year before Cleveland would become the administrator of Folsom's estate and provide for Frances. NEWS BOOK REVIEWER, As supporters pray, Kim Pegula's father shares her words: 'I will continue to fight', Prayer and healing vigil for Bills and Sabres co-owner Kim Pegula scheduled for Saturday, WGRZ meteorologist Elyse Smith exiting station after three years, DeAndre Hopkins Watch: Receiver posts on Instagram, 'Who says I wanted to leave? 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. After dinner, Cleveland escorted her back to her boarding house. [5]:106 The form letters used by Cleveland as first lady remained in use, eventually being redrafted by Eleanor Roosevelt. She said she knew that Grover Cleveland had plotted the abduction and hired the men to carry it out, as he had previously tried less violent means to deprive her of the child and get her out of the way. For on July 21, 1884, the Buffalo Evening Telegraph broke a story many in upstate New York had long known to be truethat 10 years earlier, a woman named Maria Halpin had given birth in that city to a son with the surname Cleveland and then been taken to a mental asylum while the child was adopted by another family. Worldhistory.us - For those who want to understand the History, not just to read it. The Democrats, though, had troubles of their own. What is the single most immoral thing proven to be done by a U.S. president? We strive for accuracy and fairness. She kept company with a number of men, including Grover Cleveland and his law partner and best friend, Oscar Folsom, (hence her choosing those two names for the child). Prices starting at $1,378 for return flights and $856 for one-way flights to Seoul were the cheapest prices found within the past 7 days, for the period specified. His public life is revealing his true character. An article published by the Atlanta Constitution falsely stated that she no longer purchased bustles, causing a decline in their popularity. [9]:274 She was more apprehensive of taking the role for a second time, now being aware of all that it entailed. [12] Despite her emotional departure, she later expressed relief that she was no longer first lady, remembering the rumors and falsehoods that surrounded her. His policies to combat the countrys economic woes were generally unpopular, and as a result he declined to run for another term. The arrival of the military sparked violence between troops and workers, resulting in dozens of deaths and millions of dollars in damage. [2] Though the Folsoms were financially secure when she was born,[6]:144 her father's poor finances caused them trouble as she grew. Really, hed been looking out for his friends and for a woman in unfortunate circumstances. She . It's a biography Cleveland would most certainly not appreciate were he alive today.