Cleveland/Hendrix Campaign Plaque, 1884

Cleveland, Grover

In 1884, Grover Cleveland and Thomas Hendricks ran for president and vice president as Democratic Party nominees. Cleveland was a prominent governor of New York, seen as a conservative and steady representative of the Democratic party which had spent years struggling to recover from the stain of disloyalty during the Civil War and Reconstruction. In a close, ugly race, Cleveland was able to defeat Blaine, with help from Republican-defectors in the key state of New York.