Biography: First Lady Frances Cleveland (1864-1947)

Frances Clara Folsom Cleveland Preston was the wife of Grover Cleveland, the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President of the United States. She married President Cleveland at the age of twenty-one during his first term, and is both the youngest First Lady and the only First Lady to marry the President in the White House.

Frances Clara Folsom was born on July 21, 1864, in Buffalo, New York. Her father, Oscar Folsom, was a lawyer; his friend and partner, Grover Cleveland, was fondly called "Uncle" by young Frances, some thirty years his junior. Cleveland served as Oscar's executor after his untimely death in a carriage accident in 1873.

In her late teens, Frances attended Wells College, one of the first women's liberal arts colleges in the United States. She studied various subjects, including political science, and was a skilled member of the debate club. Shortly after her graduation she became engaged to President Grover Cleveland. Her mother, Emma Harmon Folsom, disapproved at first, having believed that Cleveland was going to propose to her instead.

After the engagement was announced, Cleveland sent his future wife and mother-in-law on a tour of Europe so that Frances could learn about social customs and become used to giving public appearances. They were married on June 2, 1886, a grand affair at the White House including a band led by John Philip Sousa. The couple eventually had six children: Ruth (1891-1904), Esther (1893-1980, the first child to be born in the White House), Marion (1895-1977), Richard Folsom (1897-1974), and Francis Grover (1903-1995).

Frances Cleveland was immediately well-received by the American public. The press referred to her as "Frankie," although she disliked the nickname, and held her up as a trendsetter in fashion and as a symbol of Cleveland's Presidency. Although she was not involved in politics, she helped to make political statements by involving herself in charity work. She also hosted receptions at the White House on Saturdays so that working women could attend - an unprecedented gesture which won her love and respect in the eyes of the oppressed classes.

Grover Cleveland passed away in 1908, and Frances married Thomas Jex Preston, Jr., a professor at Princeton University and President of Wells College, on February 10, 1910. She was the first Presidential widow to remarry. She remained active in charities, including sewing and typing Braille texts for the blind. Believing that women were not intelligent enough for politics and should focus on charity work instead, she was an active member of the New Jersey Association Opposed to Woman's Suffrage. She passed away in Baltimore on October 29, 1947.

Sources

• Biography of Frances Cleveland from the White House
• Frances Cleveland from NNDB
• Frances Cleveland Biography from National First Ladies' Library