Frank Clara Folsom was born July 21, 1864 in Buffalo. She was named after an uncle, but changed the name to Francis when she got older. Her father was a lawyer and good friends with his partner Grover Cleveland. “Uncle Cleve” bought Frank, daughter of his partner, her first baby buggy. He doted on the little girl. When her father died in a carriage accident when she was 12, Cleveland became her unofficial guardian. There was nothing scandalous about the relationship, but when Frances 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. Emma had thought that as well. Awkward! They were married in the Blue Room of the White House on June 2, 1886. The young lady was one of the most popular First Ladies. 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. Cleveland had his fifth and last child at age 67. After Grover died in 1908, she married an art history professor in 1913. She became the first First Lady to remarry. When WWI broke out she became a member of the pro-war National Security League. She was controversial because she felt that many immigrants were unassimilated and thus not likely to unite in the war effort. She proposed that school children be indoctrinated to support the war. She ended up resigning from the NSL. She opposed women’s suffrage, arguing women were not intelligent enough to vote! Sadler 203-208 / https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frances_Cleveland / https://www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/frances-cleveland
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