This is the fifth non-fiction book pertaining to presidents from the late 1800s that I've read recently, and it is a good one! It's not quite of the thriller ilk, but it's close. This book stays with the facts gathered by Charles Lachman's extensive research, but still leaves the reader feeling like he is reading fiction. That's the main criterion I look for in this genre I call non-fiction thrillers. The main authors in this category are two of my favorites: Candice Millard and Erik Larson. This book does leave the reader with some doubt as to who is lying about the alleged rape of Maria Halpin by Grover Cleveland, thus qualifying as an exemplar work of labyrinthine narrative storytelling. Well done Charles Lachman!
The main theme of the book is about the sexual encounter between (at the time) private citizen Grover Cleveland and store clerk Maria Halpin. The liaison results in a child born nine months later named Oscar Folsom Cleveland, later changed to James E. King, Jr. The child is bounced around between Maria, an orphanage, back to Maria, and finally to Dr. James E. King, a friend of Grover Cleveland. All of these actions are orchestrated by Buffalo New York's foremost lawyer Grover Cleveland, while being opposed vehemently by Maria.
The secondary theme is how this sexual abuse or consensual sex affected Grover Cleveland's bid for: Mayor of Buffalo, Governor of New York, and President of the United States. Grover, a democrat, was trying to break years of republican rule dating back to Abraham Lincoln. Newspapers backed either Grover or his counterpart with many lies and innuendos provided by both sides. I found this part of the book very interesting since this was the start of what we now know as "dirty politics". The mud slinging in the 1884 presidential race between Grover and James G. Blaine set the acrimonious standard we see currently.
The third salient motif I got out of this book was the love affair between the 48 year old President Cleveland and the 21 year old daughter of his deceased best friend, Oscar Folsom. Frances Folsom and Grover became the only President and First Lady to be married in the White House. Frances stayed loyal to Grover during their marriage even with all the muckraking from the Republican Party. This is a must read for any historians out there who are interested in presidential lore. I still haven't fully made up my mind on the the alleged rape because Grover Cleveland was noted as the most honest and forthright president of all previous incumbents.
RATING: 4 out of 5 stars
Comment: Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th President of the United States, the only President to serve two non-consecutive terms. As the Erie County District Attorney in 1863, Grover paid Polish immigrant George Beniski $150 to serve in his place during the Civil War. If you are interested in Cleveland read An Honest President by H. Paul Jeffers and Grover Cleveland: A Study in Character by Alyn Brodsky.
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