Friday; June 24

Today, we spotlight Grover Cleveland on the 114th anniversary of his death.

You might recognize the name Grover Cleveland as a president of the United States, but there are a couple of things that stand out in his presidencies. The use of the plural of “presidency” might give you an insight into one of the factoids – he was the only person elected president in non-consecutive elections. He was elected president in 1885 and served until 1889. He lost the election in 1888; but was reelected in 1892 and served until 1897. Yet, did you also know that he was only president to be married while in the White House? In 1886, the nearly 50-year-old president married the 21-year-old Francis Folsom.

While these unique facts are interesting, the reason for the spotlight is a quote of Cleveland’s that I came across. The man who would be a two-time president observed, “A government for the people must depend for its success on the intelligence, the morality, the justice, and the interest of the people themselves.”. Have you noticed how much emphasis we have placed on the important of lawmakers in the success of our nation? Yet, according to a man who invested a lot of his life in public service, the livability of a county depends on its citizenry. We, the people, determine the success of our nation by how we live. We must not, and cannot, sit back blaming others and pinning our hopes on some political savior or even a partisan revolution. It is up to us to live good, thoughtful, fair lives. Let’s make our nation all it can be – not merely by election good people, but by living like them.

Think About It!

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