“I have tried so hard to do right.” Those were the last words of Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. Few dying declarations better encapsulated the essence of the man about to pass from the scene. Cleveland was an unusual politician in that he rarely factored political calculus into his decision-making process. A man of incessant work habits, Cleveland adhered to a personal code that led him to pursue causes he believed to be in the best interests of his constituents, whether they be his legal clients or the citizens of Buffalo or the state of New York or the entire United States. Government reform was his mantra, seeing himself as the primary protector of the public purse and the limited role he saw for government activity. He became known as the Veto Mayor of Buffalo, a moniker which could equally have been applied as Governor or President, as Cleveland used all the powers of his offices to thwart what he believed to be bad legislation – whether it was counter to the best interests of the citizenry, or just poorly written.
 
The concept of a virtuous government that embraced serious reform was on the rise in Cleveland’s late 19th Century era, but it did not come without strenuous opposition. Cleveland was often caught in the middle, but almost never compromised, convinced on the merits of his decisions with little regard for the next election cycle. This approach caught on with the electorate at the right time leading to his unprecedented rise from his law office to executive responsibilities at the local, state, and national levels over a brief three-year period. It also led him to lose the presidency before winning it back four years later. It led him to the height of popularity, but also to the fall to the depths of where he honestly believed he was the most hated man in America. Unlike most politicians, however, he never caved when applying his firmly held convictions to his official decision-making. If they cost him an election, then so be it. Such a loss would be a small price to pay for Grover Cleveland, who lived his life in accordance with his dying words: “I have tried so hard to do right.”