Our country has almost ceased to exist on more than one occasion. In the postmodern era it might appear that, considering the United States’ robust position in global politics, that our country has always been some stalwart monolith of power; a country that might sometimes in danger but has never been in doubt of itself. Of course this is far from true, as the pestilence of periods such as the Civil War, the Great Depression, and the Cuban Missile Crisis permeate across text books and documentaries in American schools and abroad. Yet there are many forgotten eras of this country’s history, with the 1890s, perhaps, being both one of the most important and yet one of the least remembered. Mere days before the second inauguration of President Grover Cleveland, the United States tumbled into the worst economic disaster in our history to that point (only to be outdone decades later with the aforementioned Great Depression.)

But the mélange of political rot, scarcity of morals, and burgeoning cracks to the superficial and strict nineteenth century code of etiquette began to manifest openly in the 1890s. This was predicated in the prior two decades through sordid scandals, unchecked corruption, and carelessly broken promises. Thus manifested a whited sepulcher society so perfectly remembered through the name given to her by one of her most famous artists, Mark Twain: “The Gilded Age”.

At the center of this era was the first election of the aforementioned President Grover Cleveland. This election, even when compared to our recent political climate, lowered the standards of decorum and the prestige of presidential office so much so that it popularized the use of the term “mudslinging” in American election coverage. With the seemingly flawless candidate Grover “the Good” Cleveland came a violent affair and an illegitimate child. Thus, the moral fiber of the United States was fractured, bringing this country to her knees.

This is the story of Maria Halpin, Grover Cleveland, and the Election of 1884.

Election of 1884, Cleveland & Hendricks Poster

Despite the outward appearances of modesty and conservatism put forth by overly long frock coats and draconian tight lacing, the topics of conversation were euphemistically salacious and seedy. Unfortunately for the Democratic Party, the Republicans had harnessed the sensationalism of political scandal to take down anti-corruption champion Grover Cleveland: the moralistic, generous, and honest former Governor of New York who presented himself as a much-needed tonic for the increasing decay of the United States political system.

Many events leading up to the Election of 1884 had sowed distrust of the American system. They included the assassination Abraham Lincoln, the first time a sitting president was assassinated, which occurred immediately after end of the Civil War. In addition, the abject abandonment of African-Americans by the premature end of Reconstruction and the destruction of the Civil War was followed by the second assassination of a U.S. President, James A. Garfield. The raw wounds caused by this instability were aggravated by political corruption, greedy industrialists, robber barons, and modern political machines. Furthermore, there was the prominence of political “bosses” who made money by exploiting an American electorate distracted by manufactured scandals and sensationalized political fodder. Yet, as outspoken politicians became increasingly popular, so too did the intensity of their opponents and the severity of their sordid tactics.

It must be said that, despite the unprecedented level of smear campaigning, the Election of 1884 was based in several very legitimate political issues of the day. These issues included imperialism and American foreign policy, civil service reform and the idea of political meritocracy, as well as concerns over industrial monopolies, prohibition, and even early ideas about female suffrage and voting enfranchisement. However, the notion of personal character and ethical conduct quickly became the most important issue for the American voter, outweighing all other political topics of the day. After the first few weeks of campaigning it became clear that this election would decide not just the presidency but determine the fate of this country’s very soul. With Cleveland’s pristine record, though, why should the National Democratic Party harbor any concerns? But for Maria Halpin, they shouldn’t.

Maria Halpin, moderately attractive and fashionable, an ideal looking woman of her era and class maintained a quiet looking disposition beneath a mass of dark and pinned hair in addition to her modern frocks. She was not outlandish in dress, nor coquettish in manner, and yet her character would almost not survive a chance meeting with an up-and-coming politician.

A rare photograph, Maria Halpin — A rare photograph of Maria Halpin

She met Cleveland at a time long before the Election of 1884 and longer still before he would ultimately be married in 1886. Early in 1874, during the height of his term as Governor of New York, Maria and Grover first laid eyes upon each other. Though the thirty-eight year old widow blithely acknowledged the Governor, his interest in her had reached near infatuation. And hell hath no fury like a powerful man who has had his ego bruised—especially in the midst of the nineteenth century when a woman, unfortunately, had not many rights and even less political representation. By use of his political power and social standing in New York society, Cleveland, after many failed attempts, strong-armed Halpin into dinner one evening. According to Halpin’s own testimony, following this dinner he forcefully escorted her back to her lodgings and spent the night there.

The exact details of their night have differed between the two central figures of this affair. Maria always maintained that Cleveland was an aggressor who forced himself on her as she repeatedly implored him to stop and to leave. He answered not to this simple plea and went on his merry way after he was finished. That was, until a few weeks following when Maria, gathering the strength just to face her attacker again, insisted on a private meeting to discuss the further developments of his actions: that of their unborn child.

Now, according to Cleveland, he had entered into a brief intimate relationship with Halpin, however he also maintained that he had not fathered any child with her. He instead insisted that he had agreed to claim the child as his own when he discovered one of his many married friends was the actual father (to save the marriage of his friend). Not even Dynasty could get away with this farce. And, unfortunately for Halpin, her silence was needed in the face of Cleveland’s burgeoning political career. Hence, a story was quickly spread to discredit her regarding her new found companionship to libations, the child was given to another family — supported by a secret fund from Governor Cleveland. Maria was then placed in an asylum and soon after released.

Gilded Age Industrialists as depicted in this political Cartoon — Gilded Age Industrialists as depicted in this political cartoon

By the 1870s and 1880s, spies and data collectors, many of them freshly trained and recently discharged intelligence officers of the Civil War Era, had began selling their services to private political organizations to the tune of thousands of dollars. Clubs like aforementioned Tammany Hall and her master William “Boss” Tweed would use these men and women to diminish the power of their political enemies. With a secret like Maria Halpin and a group of fabulously wealthy industrialists looking to take down any Democratic nominee for President, the tumultuous Election of 1884 would blindside Grover Cleveland. It would prove to be a step too far, even for the gladiatorial plebeian mob that underlaid the Gilded Age.

When the Republican Party selected the morally dubious and untrustworthy James G. Blaine, open dissent to their choice hung heavy in the humid summer air. The National Democratic Party knew that to foil their political opponents’ aspirations they needed to nominate a moral and righteous character, not seen since Abraham Lincoln last held the office, in order to ensure victory in the upcoming election. They were well aware that their victory would usher in the first Democratic administration since James Buchanan in 1857. It was their feeling that over thirty years of Republican domination had stalled political progression in the United States. It had created the rot of corruption that began during the Johnson and Grant administrations. Luckily, Grover “the Good” Cleveland was the perfect knight-in-shining-armor for the Democratic party.

“A public office is a public trust,” campaigned Cleveland. His campaign went relatively smoothly, considering his considerable enemies. In fact, cracks in Blaine’s campaign began to appear in the early summer of 1884, with potentially dubious investments in various railroads and attempts to destroy evidence of corruption causing the Republicans to panic and search far-and-wide for a story about Cleveland. Soon into the summer, they started to throw up a barrage of stories (many fabricated) to see if one would stick. Stories about Cleveland being a drunk, being a violent character as well as someone who was lazy, dull, and foolish all filled the papers and tabloids. However above all the noise, one story in particular, became the favorite of the season: one of him fathering an illegitimate child. It caused such a stir among undecided voters as well as the traditional Democrats that it caused substantial concern within Cleveland’s campaign.

Moreover, the hell of this attention hit Maria Halpin the hardest. Tired of the shaming of this anonymous unwed mother, she admitted to the press that it was her who had the sordid and violent affair with the presidential candidate. Thinking the press would be sympathetic to the widow for her being the victim of such a horrific assault by Cleveland, she quickly learned that the public was more enraptured by the image of her a Scarlet Letter-type: a dangerous and seedy woman, a Whore of Babylon. She thought she would be believed, but, unfortunately nothing trumped the word of a powerful man in that age of steam and steel. Luckily for Grover, his manufactured and untrue narrative of Halpin being a charlatan was more powerful than Halpin’s truth. This story, in combination with a widely spread choice remark by his opponment Blaine against Irish-Catholics who were an important bloc in many swing states at the time, gave Cleveland the narrow edge he needed to win the election.

Halpin, despite her cruel new fate in the public eye, did not let her reputation to affect her ability to live a full and long life. She managed the trauma of her encounters with Grover Cleveland and the American political system while also remarrying and dying many decades later. Her son, Oscar, disappeared from the record. Cleveland went on to lose the subsequent election, only to be reelected four years following. He would lead the United States during the worst period of instability since the Civil War, not to be outdone until the Great Depression. And he is remembered as being remarkably unremarkable, never causing any problems, but never quite fixing any either.

CORRECTION 1/18/22 - When this story was originally published, it was incorrectly written that Maria Halpin was placed in Providence asylum for years, when in fact it was only a matter of weeks. The language of the article has been updated. Thanks to the reader who pointed this out!

Grover Cleveland: “The Good”, the Bad, and the Ugly