Complex sentence: President Grover Cleveland was defeated in the election of 1888, but before he left office, Whitney managed to have Congress authorize two additional cruisers, one of which was a large, protected cruiser that was to become "Olympia".
Split into simpler sentences: President Grover Cleveland was defeated in the election of 1888, but before he left office, Whitney managed to have Congress authorize two additional cruisers. One of these was a large, protected cruiser, which was to become "Olympia".