New Yorker Grover Cleveland was mayor of Buffalo before becoming governor in 1882. His reputation as a trustworthy reformer helped him land the Democratic presidential nomination in 1884. He won the election despite news stories revealing that he was financially supporting an illegitimate child.

A little more than a year after his inauguration, the 49-year-old bachelor Cleveland married Frances Folsom, daughter of a longtime friend and nearly three decades his junior, in a White House ceremony. Their courtship and marriage had been popular public fodder, so when the Clevelands embarked on a historic U.S. tour, the crowds greeting them were huge.

During his first term, Cleveland formed the Interstate Commerce Commission to control the railroads and other modes of interstate travel. Cleveland ran for re-election in 1888, but despite winning the popular vote, he lost to Benjamin Harrison. As they prepared to depart, Mrs. Cleveland told a White House worker to care for the furnishings because they would be back in four years’ time. The Clevelands moved to New York, and in 1891, the first of their five children was born. A confections company named a candy bar after her—Baby Ruth.

In 1892, Cleveland challenged Harrison for the White House and won, becoming the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms. His second administration was difficult, marked by a serious economic depression and a nationwide railroad strike. After his term ended, Cleveland and his family retired to Princeton, New Jersey, where he died in June 1908.