Richard Falley Cleveland | |
|---|---|
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| Born | June 19, 1804 Norwich, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | October 1, 1853(1853-10-01) (aged 49) |
| Education | Yale College Princeton Theological Seminary |
| Occupation | Congregationalist/Presbyterian minister |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 9, includingGrover andRose |
| Relatives |
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Richard Falley Cleveland (June 19, 1804 – October 1, 1853) was an AmericanCongregationalist andPresbyterian minister. A graduate ofYale College andPrinceton Theological Seminary, Cleveland spent most of his life as a pastor, outside of a brief period as a district secretary for theAmerican Home Missionary Society. He was the father ofGrover Cleveland, who served asPresident of the United States twice.
Cleveland was born into anold-stock American family inNorwich, Connecticut, the son of Margaret (née Falley) and William Cleveland (a watchmaker by profession). His maternal grandfather,Richard Falley Jr., fought in theBattle of Bunker Hill. Cleveland's parents reputedly decided at his birth that their son would become a minister. Described as a "thin, pale, and intelligent boy" byAllan Nevins, he worked for periods at an uncle's cotton mill and as a store clerk before winning acceptance intoYale College. He graduatedsumma cum laude in 1824, and almost immediately moved toBaltimore, Maryland, where he began working as a teacher in a private school. At the same time, he began his advanced theological studies, initially under a local minister and later for a brief period at thePrinceton Theological Seminary in New Jersey.[1]
On October 18, 1829, Cleveland was ordained as a minister in theCongregational Church.[1] His first appointment led him back to his home state, as the pastor of the First Congregational Church inWindham, Connecticut. His tenure there was not overly successful – the parishioners chided his wife for her colorful clothing and jewelry and were scornful of their decision to bring an African-American woman with them from Maryland as a maid. Cleveland and his family left Connecticut in 1833 and secured an appointment as acting minister of aPresbyterian church inPortsmouth, Virginia.[2]
In November 1834, Cleveland moved to a pastorate inCaldwell, New Jersey. The church was remodelled and repaired and added 109 members in around five years. Cleveland then moved toFayetteville, New York, remaining there until 1850 when he took up a position as district secretary for theAmerican Home Missionary Society. This necessitated a move toClinton, New York. He enjoyed the position, but the frequent travel over poorly maintained roads took a toll on his health, aggravating agastric ulcer that he had developed.[3] Cleveland sought a return to the easier life of a pastor, and in September 1853 found an appointment at a Presbyterian church inHolland Patent, New York. He preached only a single sermon there, dying the following month at the age of 49.[4]
In Baltimore, Cleveland began courting Ann Neal, the daughter of a well-to-do bookseller. They married on September 10, 1829, and eventually had nine children together, born in several different states.[1] Cleveland had his family live a frugal and inextravagant lifestyle, motivated by religious piety and also by his meager salary (never more than $1,000 per year). He was a strictSabbath keeper, requiring his children to devote the entirety of Sundays to worship and prayer.[3] At the time of Cleveland's death, seven children were still living at home. The Holland Patent congregation came to the family's aid by buying the house they lived in, and allowing them to live there free of charge.[4]
Cleveland's fifth son,Grover Cleveland, became the 22nd and 24thPresident of the United States, the first of only two presidents to serve non-consecutive terms (the second beingDonald Trump). He was 16 years old at the time of his father's death and reputedly learned of the event from a boy hawking newspapers. Grover Cleveland spoke highly of his father in later life, praising his godliness and devotion to family, and named one of his sons (Richard F. Cleveland) after him. His sisterRose (the family's youngest child) acted asFirst Lady for the first year or so of his presidency, sometimes assisted by her sister, Mary Hoyt,[5] before his marriage toFrances Folsom.[4]
