Frances Cleveland (July 21, 1864 – October 29, 1947) was the
first lady of the United States from 1886 to 1889 and again from 1893 to 1897, as the wife of President
Grover Cleveland. She met him while an infant, as he was a friend, and later the executor, of her father, Oscar Folsom. Grover settled Oscar's debts and provided for Frances. She graduated from
Wells College, then
married Grover while he was president. When he lost
reelection in 1888, they went into private life for four years, returning when he was elected again
in 1892. Much of her time during Grover's second term was dedicated to their children. They had five; four survived to adulthood. Frances Cleveland served on the Wells College board, supported
women's education, and organized
kindergartens. Grover died in 1908, and she married
Thomas J. Preston Jr. in 1913. During
World War I, she advocated
military preparedness. She died in 1947 and was buried alongside Grover Cleveland in
Princeton Cemetery. This portrait photograph of Frances Cleveland was taken in 1886.
Photograph credit: Charles Milton Bell; restored by Adam Cuerden
