Stephen Grover Cleveland was the first (and only) President of the United States we have ever had who served two non-sequential terms as president—the 22nd and 24th--interrupted once by Benjamin Harrison, a Republican, as the 23rd..

Cleveland was elected both times as a Democrat, in 1885, and he was one of two (alongside Woodrow Wilson), who governed from 1833 to 1932, and again, in 1893; inauguration day, the first and second time, was March 4, 1886 and 1893.

It was during his second term that Cleveland became seriously ill — with, of all things — cancer of the mouth! The White House physician, Cleveland’s personal doctor, a Dr. O’Reilly, noted a tumor on the roof of the president’s hard palate and immediately retained the services of a half dozen ‘specialists’—including a dentist (who removed a couple of teeth) — and a secret operation was scheduled aboard Cleveland’s friend’s yacht, Oneida, sailing calmly in Long Island Sound off the coast of Cleveland’s estate.

Cleveland entered the White House as a bachelor, but that was to be short-lived. He was married (in the White House; the only president who was) shortly after he was inaugurated; matter of fact, his bride, Frances Folsom-Cleveland, at 21, was the youngest First Lady this nation had ever had, and despite their eventual five children, she said, the day they were moving out, “take care not to dent or mark any of our stuff or furniture. We’ll back in this place for four more years!” And they were, to the day, four years later!

At the time of Cleveland’s illness, the country was embroiled in a financial depression brought about by the silver debate (about which the president was most vocal), as well as high tariffs, imperialism, and other items such as government subsidies for farms and businesses that might well collapse the market entirely if it were ever learned the administration was equally as depressed. From deputy sheriff to an obscure lawyer to Mayor of Buffalo to Governor of New York to President of the U.S. to marriage to one of the young beauties of our country — all in one lifetime — was a tall order for a kid from New Jersey.

So, Cleveland decided to have the operation in the strictest secrecy. All of the surgeons—as well as the dentist—were sworn to ‘keep their mouths shut’, and it wasn’t until Dr. William Keene, one of those present during the operation, wrote an article in 1917 for Harvard Review, detailing the surgery, which was confirmed, in 1980, to have been a verruous carcinoma.

(Stephen Grover Cleveland never suffered a moment from the cancer. In fact, the disease affected his speech only briefly, and his general appearance not at all. The residue from the operation is kept in a sterile jar on a shelf in a museum. Cleveland passed away at age 71 from a heart attack in 1908.)


Copywrite©2014 by Robert A. Mills, all rights reserved, may not be published, nor re-written nor broadcast without author’s permission