Why Grover Cleveland?

Grover Cleveland wrote his first of his eight state of the union messages in December, 1885, recapping the year. It’s a long letter going into great detail about all areas of the federal government, from foreign relations, budgets, trade and treaty issues, research into bimetalism and the Panama Canal, and detailed reporting on the budgets of the armed forces and other Federal Departments.  It’s a boring, detailed, administrative document long on facts and short on soaring rhetoric. It’s average! Like Grover! But it’s honest and truthful, too, which is the least we can ask of a president. He writes first of the various events and treaties and realtions with the many foreign nations. “It is gratifying to announce,” he wrote,” that the relations of the United States with all foreign powers continue to be friendly. Our position after nearly a century of successful constitutional government, maintenance of good faith in all our engagements, the avoidance of complications wi...

Hi Artists! My name is Eric and I’m the “founder and curator” of the Grover Cleveland Art Appreciation Society (and Occassional Pop-up Museum). It lives virtually on Instagram and, very occasionally, out in public view at a Fourth of July picnic or other community event in Colorado.  If you’re reading this, I probably sent you a link because I like your work and/or you wanted more info when I asked if you’d consider making a picture of Grover Cleveland. The Grover Cleveland Art Appreciation Society was created to 1) support young and/or developing artists and 2) to keep alive the memory of America’s Most Average President.  As a result of his averageness, I’m perhaps the world’s only collector of original Grover Cleveland Themed Art.  We started 2019 with about 10 pieces and we’re always (casually) looking for more. We like to add 5-6 new pieces per year.  We know it’s kind of weirdly charming, but we also believe this is part of its oddball appeal and exact...

From the collection of the Grover Cleveland Art Appreciation Society, this is “Grover Cleveland” by Arist Mandy Bond, acrylic on canvas board (c) 2018 Obviously, you can find a more thorough, real biography online and in many very good published biographies. The following is my quick rendition, to give you a brief outline of the man and some of the highlights that I’ll return to in coming weeks. This was written mostly* from memory, foreshadowing the things that I like. *Dates, locations and ‘facts’ have been confirmed for accuracy. Interpretation is all mine. Stephen Grover Cleveland was born in Caldwell, New Jersey, on March 18, 1837, son of a well-to-do mother and a somewhat itinerant preacher father. In 1841, his family moved to New York, first to Fayetteville near Syracuse, then nine years later 50 miles east to Clinton, near Utica.  Average from the start, he was a middle kid, fifth of nine children, four older siblings, four younger.  Grover was sc...

Before we get too deep into Groverland, I should probably say a word about the Grover Cleveland Art Appreciation Society (and Occasional Pop-up Museum). This blog is a companion project and friends of the Grover Cleveland Art Appreciation Society. I created the Grover Cleveland Art Appreciation Society on July 4, 2018. The Society is inspired by Grover’s quote: “Someday I will be better remembered.” It is dedicated to supporting young artists and keeping alive the memory of America’s Most Average President.  Here’s how it came to be. I’ve attended the Denver Pop Culture Con for several years now and happily wander Artist’s Alley looking at cartoons and drawings made by hundreds of cartoonists. Many offer commissioned drawings during the weekend, meaning for a price they’ll draw your picture or a picture of you in your cosplay outfit, or a mash-up of favorite characters and super heroes in their own style. I’ve watched them and wanted to suppor...

So, how did Grover Cleveland become the curious object of my fond interest? Great  question! And, weirdly, it’s the perfect set-up for today’s post: the backstory.  What a coincidence! Back in 2006 or so, I had a co-worker we’ll call “Brian” — because that’s his name. Brian was a presidential fact machine. As a child, he’d had a book on the presidents that he memorized in the way only young minds can memorize: completely, thoroughly, deeply remembered. Brian knew his presidents. He knew their portraits and a wide range of trivia and facts and presidential firsts about each. (Brian also had some synthethesia and, as I recall, he also associated colors with the numbers of the presidents, which I find to be v cool).  I liked this about Brian. One day, a year or two after learning of Brian’s presidential knowledge secret, and after frequently tossing him a pop quiz (Fillmore? Polk? Harding?), I found my spark. A generic store brand cereal box listing all the ...

Why Grover Cleveland? It’s a question that — perhaps surprisingly — I’m asked* a lot more often than you’d think. It’s probably not a question you’ve ever been asked.  I have what can best, most charitably, be described as a ‘fond interest’ in Grover Cleveland. It’s not a fascination. It’s not an obsession, I don’t think. It’s barely even a hobby, really. I don’t even necessarily *like* many aspects of him and his opinions, his actions. I do not think we’d be friends if I could time travel to his era, or he to mine. I doubt I’d even vote for him given the chance (depending, of course, on his opponent — although there’s no way time traveling Benjamin Harrison gets my vote, that’s for sure!). I do, however, have in my brain a lot of (fascinating? fun? useless?) information, stories and trivia about old Grover (which I’ll share here in due time if you continue to read) and I continue to learn more about him. And, well because of all of this, I will admit to boasting a certain...

Inauguration Day! We’re launching today a new blog to explore this question (in what is likely to be fine detail). You want an answer? Come back soon and we’ll find out!