The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-12
THE CANDIDATES.
Sketch of the Life and Public Services of the
Nominee for President.


Sketch of the Life, and Public Services of the
Nominee for President.
Anything like an authentic biography of the
Democratic nominee for the presidency is not
now obtainable. He has but so recently come
into public notice that no history of his life, be-
You'd sketches noted only for the fulsomeness of
their fattery, has ever been prepared Stepping
into the focal light Of such a candidacy as he now
enters, his everwact will soon be reviewed and
| considered in all parts Of the country. A few
years ago he was sheriff of Erie county New
York, and after praeticing law in quiet way
| for eleven years, he was elected mayor of the
city of Buffalo, and, in 1882, was chosen Gov
eFnor of New York, not so much on account of
| his popularity as Of the prejudice then felt
against the Republican candidate. In the town
| of Caldwell, Essex county, N. j., there stands
! yet little two story and half white house with
wooden shutters, and therein the year 1887 was
born Stephen Grover Cleveland, When he was
| three years of age, his father, who was Pres
| byterian minister, with large family and a
small salary, moved by way of the Hudson river
and the Erie canal to Fayetteville, in search Of
an increased income and larger field of work
leaving that, he took place in acountry store at
small salary.
The removal of the elder Cleveland to Clinton
gave Grover the long wished-for opportunity to-
attend high-school, and he pursued his studies
until the family moved up on the Black river to
what was then known as the Holland Patent--a
village of FIVE or six hundred peopIe-ffteen
miles north of Utica. The elder Cleveland
preached but three Sundays in this place, when
he suddenly died. The event produced the usual
| breakup of the family, and we next hear Of
Grover Cleveland setting out for New York
city to accept. at q SMALL salary, the position
of under teacher in an asylum for the blind
But to teach he did not believe was his mission,
| and consequently. atthe expiration of two years
he abandoned it and literally started out tos seek
his fortune only reversing the usual order, and
instead of coming to the great city. he left it.
His first idea was to go to Cleveland As he
has since said the name seemed a good omen
But his uncle Lewis F. Allan, noted stock
breeder, lived at Buffalo, and he went straight
to him for advice and guidance
He remained with his uncle until he got an
opportunity to enter a law Office in Buffalo,
where he pursued his studies without special
notice until he finally entered upon the practice
of law. In 1863 he was appointed assistant dis
! trict attorney for the county of Erie. In 1865
| he was candidate for the district attorneyship,
| but was defeated by the Republican nominee.
In 1866 Mr.. Cleveland formed law partnership
with the late I K Vanderpool, which lasted till
| 1869. He afterwards associated himself with
! the late A. r. Lansing and the late Oscar Fol
som. The latter association, however, ended at
the expiration of two years, owing to Mr.. Cleve-
| land having been nominated and elected, in 1869
to be sheriff of Erie county, during the admins
| tration of which Office he personally man
! aged the hanging of two men condemned
| to death. AT the close of his term he formed
! partnership with his former antagonist, Lyman
| K. Bass, and Wilson S BisselL Mr.. Bass
4 health not long afterwards proving precarious
/ he went to Colorado and the firm became Cleve-
! land & Bissell, to which partnership Mr.. George
j. Sicard was admitted in 1881. In that same
year Mr.. Cleveland was elected mayor of Buffalo,
/ which brought him into greater notice. In the
administration of this Office Mr.. Cleveland made
very meretricious display Of reform, and, in
] deed, succeeded in saving money to the city.
i The way he did It, however, was calculated by
| him to draw attention to him personally, while,
| in point Of fact, he would not have dared do
| otherwise than he did under the circumstances
In 1882 he was elected Governor over Secretary
| Folger by majority of nearly 200 000
i An analysis of the vote. however, shows that
| Mr. Cleveland barely held the partisan Demo
cratic vote, q remarkable fact, and one greatly
\ to his discredit when the Republican hostility
to the Republican candidate is considered
TIE oLEvELAND FAMILY.
The Governors great grandfather, Aaron
! Cleveland was born February 9. 1744, in East
Hadaam, the chief of the many Haddams that
skirt the Connecticut river below Middletown.