Grover Cleveland

A printed image of Grover Cleveland is surrounded by a brass outer layer. The printed image is protected by a glass covering. 

This button is likely a campaign button used in Grover Cleveland's first Presidential bid in 1884. The button features a modern printed image covered with a protective layer of glass, which represents a pioneering design and technique at the time in button history. For this reason, it is considered one of the “crown jewels” of our collection.

Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837 – June 24, 1908), the first Democrat President after the Civil War, was the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. He was the only President to leave the White House and return for a second term four years later (1885-1889 and 1893-1897). He was also the first bachelor President when elected to office and the first one to get married while in office. He met the future First Lady Frances Folsom when she was 11, and proposed to her via a letter when she was attending college. They were married in the Blue Room in the White House.

During his presidencies, Cleveland supported the gold standard and pursued policies that limited government responsibilities and reduced high tariffs. He was also known for his blunt treatment to the railroad workers in Chicago, for that he sent Federal troops to enforce an injunction imposed on the strikers. Cleveland had blemished records on civil rights advancement. He campaigned against the Enforce Bill that ensured the voting rights of African Americans, extended the Exclusion Act on Chinese immigrants, and lobbied congress for a bill to forbid their returns.