Born in this modest house in Caldwell, New Jersey on March 18, 1837, Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms.  The house was the residence of the minister at the local Presbyterian Church.  Built in 1832, the “Manse,” as it was known, consisted of a two-story frame main section with a one-story kitchen on the east side and a one-story lean-to at the rear.  Simple Federal and Greek Revival details add a touch of sophistication to a simple vernacular building.  The large Cleveland family lived here from 1834 to 1841.  Cleveland began his political career in western New York and rose quickly from mayor of Buffalo in 1881 to president of the United States in 1885.  Defeated by Republican Benjamin Harrison in 1888, he easily won reelection in 1892.  The Democrats did not re-nominate him in 1896; ultimately, he owed his defeat to the deep Depression of 1893.

In 1841, Cleveland’s father moved to a church in Fayetteville, New York, where young Grover (he rarely used his first name) received his schooling.  At the age of 13, he went to work to help family finances after his father became ill.  He abandoned his hopes of attending college when his father died in 1853.  He soon moved to Buffalo, where he worked briefly on his uncle’s farm before entering a local law firm as an apprentice clerk.  In 1859, he passed the bar and opened his own law practice.  He became a prominent lawyer and Democratic politician.  Elected mayor of Buffalo in 1881, he soon developed a reputation as a reformer because of his opposition to corruption and patronage.  As governor of New York from 1883 to 1884, he exhibited bipartisan independence.  He worked closely with Republican Assembly member Theodore Roosevelt to pass municipal reform legislation that gained him national recognition, but angered New York City's powerful Tammany Hall Democratic organization.

Cleveland managed to become the Democratic presidential nominee in 1884 without Tammany support. The campaign was contentious and close.  Cleveland won the popular vote by just one-quarter of one percent, but the electoral votes gave him a majority of 219–182.  A popular chief executive, President Cleveland failed at his first attempt at reelection in 1888, but succeeded four years later.

The Presbyterian Church Manse is one of the two oldest houses in Caldwell.  The church enlarged the house several times between 1848 and 1870.  Interest in preserving Cleveland’s birthplace began when he was governor of New York and grew as his political career continued. The birthplace house first opened to the public in 1913.  The State of New Jersey bought the house from the Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association in 1934 and now operates it as a historic house museum. The Grover Cleveland Birthplace State Historic Site is the only house museum in the country dedicated to the interpretation of President Cleveland’s life. It is the nation’s leading repository of Cleveland artifacts and political memorabilia. Restored to their 1837 appearance when the Cleveland family lived in the house, the first floor rooms offer a glimpse at the modest beginnings of the future president.  Among the artifacts on display from Cleveland’s early years are his cradle and original family portraits.  An exhibition gallery reflects his later life.

The Grover Cleveland Birthplace is located at 207 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell, NJ. The Grover Cleveland Birthplace State Historic Site is the only house museum in the country dedicated to the interpretation of President Cleveland’s life. It is the nation’s leading repository of Cleveland artifacts and political memorabilia. It is open to the public free of charge. The birthplace is open year round, Wednesday-Sunday from 10:00am to noon and from 1:00pm to 4:00pm. It is closed for all State and Federal holidays. For more information visit the New Jersey Division of Parks and Forestry Grover Cleveland Birthplace website or call 973-226-0001.

The Grover Cleveland Birthplace has been documented by the National Park Service’s Historic American Buildings Survey.

Credits and Sources:

National Park Service. "Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary American Presidents: List of Sites." http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/presidents/list_of_sites.html.

Division of Parks and Forestry