Happy Birthday, Frances Cleveland! Born on this day in 1864, she went on to become the youngest First Lady.
The future First Lady was born Frank Clara Folsom on July 21, 1864. (No she did not have a sex change operation, she was named in honor of an uncle.) “Uncle Cleve” bought Francis Folsom, daughter of his partner, her first baby buggy. He adored the infant and saw her grow up. When her father died when she was 12, Cleveland became her guardian. There was nothing scandalous about the relationship, but when Francis got old enough, Grover proposed to her and she accepted. She was still in college. He was 49 and she was 21. When the announcement appeared in the newspapers, most people thought Cleveland was marrying Frances’ mother. They were married in the White House and Frances became the youngest First Lady ever. The marriage was a success and Frank (as Grover called her) gave birth to little Ruth who became a national obsession. Back in those days, the public had access to the White House grounds and people would come in and pass the baby around. After this, the gates were closed. Their second child, Esther, was born in the White House. She is still the only baby born there. Ike Hoover, who worked in the White House for 42 years, said that the Cleveland girls were the most adored and best-behaved Presidential children during his time. The Cleveland’s had their fifth child when Grover was 67! Frances lived 39 years after Grover died. She became the first First Lady to remarry. She created a stir when she opposed women’s suffrage, proclaiming that “women weren’t yet intelligent enough to vote.” Sadler 203-208
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