A 2013 - 2014 original C-SPAN feature series telling the stories of America's First Ladies - from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama -
through conversations with top experts, video tours of historic sites, and questions from C-SPAN's audience.

America's First Ladies — from Martha Washington to Michelle Obama
Frances Cleveland
First Lady: 1885 - 1889, 1893 - 1897
Click the list to watch videos
  • Frances Cleveland Program
  • Frances Cleveland as a fashion icon
  • Author Bonnie Angelo on Frances Cleveland
  • Author Alyn Brodsky on Frances Cleveland
  • Story of "Baby Ruth" candy bar
  • Popularity as a campaign asset
  • "Jackie Kennedy of her day"
  • Frances Cleveland's likeness on souvenirs
  • Evolving role of women
  • Children in the White House
  • As a Fashion Icon
  • Wedding Dress at the Smithsonian
  • White House Wedding Story
  • Ann Cleveland Robertson - Granddaughter of Frances Cleveland
  • Relationship with her Husband
  • Her Second Marriage
  • Grover Cleveland's proposal and wedding to Frances Cleveland
  • A brief introduction to Frances Cleveland

Biography

Frances Cleveland

Grover Cleveland
"I want you to take good care of all the furniture and ornaments in the house, and not let any of them get lost or broken, for I want to find everything just as it is now, when we come back again four years from today." Mrs. Cleveland told the staff on their departure after her husband's first term.

Born - July 21, 1864 in Folsomville, New York

Parents - Oscar Folsom & Emma Cornelia Harmon Folsom

Married - June 2, 1886 to Grover Cleveland in the White House (widowed in 1908, second marriage to Thomas Jex Preston Jr. in 1913)

Children - Ruth (1891 – 1904),
Esther (1893 – 1980),
Marion (1895 – 1977),
Richard Folsom (1897 – 1974),
Francis Grover (1903 – 1995)

Education - Bachelor of Arts degree from Wells College in Aurora, New York in 1885

Firsts - 1st First Lady to be married in the White House. 1st First Lady to have a baby in the White House. 1st President’s widow to remarry.

Post White House residence - Westland, Princeton, New Jersey

Died - October 29, 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland

Click here to see full bio of Frances Cleveland

President Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms: March 4, 1885 – March 4, 1889 (first term); March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1897 (second term)

 
Did You Know Icon Did You Know...
Mrs. Cleveland was the youngest First Lady at 21 years old.
Mrs. Cleveland held weekly White House receptions on Saturdays for working women.
Prior to President Cleveland marrying Frances, his sister, Rose, assumed the duties as hostess.
Mrs. Cleveland is the only woman to marry a president in the White House.
Frances Cleveland was the 1st First Lady to be married in the White House.
Frances Cleveland was the 1st First Lady to have a baby in the White House.
Frances Cleveland was the 1st President’s widow to remarry.

First Ladies Book

Welcome to the White House

C-SPAN Information
About Us
Special Thanks
Copyright Policy
C-SPAN Classroom
Related C-SPAN Videos
The White House
Presidential Libraries
American Presidents
Lincoln 200 Years
All Programs
Martha Washington
Abigail Adams
Martha Jefferson
Dolley Madison
Elizabeth Monroe
Louisa Adams
Rachel Jackson
Hannah Van Buren
Anna Harrison
Letitia Tyler
Julia Tyler
Sarah Polk
Margaret Taylor
Abigail Fillmore
Jane Pierce
 
Harriet Lane
Mary Lincoln
Eliza Johnson
Julia Grant
Lucy Hayes
Lucretia Garfield
Ellen Arthur
Frances Cleveland
Caroline Harrison
Ida McKinley
Edith Roosevelt
Helen Taft
Ellen Wilson
Edith Wilson
Florence Harding
 
Grace Coolidge
Lou Hoover Eleanor Roosevelt
Bess Truman
Mamie Eisenhower
Jacqueline Kennedy
Lady Bird Johnson
Pat Nixon
Betty Ford
Rosalynn Carter
Nancy Reagan
Barbara Bush
Hillary Clinton
Laura Bush
Michelle Obama
Links
Series Press Release
C-SPAN First Ladies Poll
White House Historical Association
White House
Nat’l Archives Pres. Libraries
First Ladies Portrait
View Portrait By Chas Fagan