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{{short description|First Lady of the United States from 1885 to 1886}}
{{short description|First Lady of the United States from 1885 to 1886}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox officeholder
{{Use American English|date=September 2023}}
|name = Rose Cleveland
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}{{Infobox officeholder
|image = Rose Cleveland.jpg
| name = Rose Cleveland
|office = Acting [[First Lady of the United States]]
|president = [[Grover Cleveland]]
| image = Rose Cleveland.jpg
| office = Acting [[First Lady of the United States]]
|term_start = March 4, 1885
| president = [[Grover Cleveland]]
|term_end = June 2, 1886
| term_start = March 4, 1885
|term_label = In role
| term_end = June 2, 1886
|predecessor = [[Mary Arthur McElroy|Mary McElroy]] {{small|(acting)}}
| term_label = In role
|successor = [[Frances Cleveland]]
| predecessor = [[Mary Arthur McElroy|Mary McElroy]] {{small|(acting)}}
|birth_name=Rose Elizabeth Cleveland
| successor = [[Frances Cleveland]]
|birth_date = {{birth date|1846|6|13}}
| birth_name = Rose Elizabeth Cleveland
|birth_place = [[Buffalo, New York]], U.S.
|death_date = {{death date and age|1918|11|22|1846|6|13}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1846|6|13}}
| birth_place = [[Fayetteville, New York]], U.S.
|death_place = [[Bagni di Lucca]], [[Tuscany]], [[Kingdom of Italy]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1918|11|22|1846|6|13}}

| death_place = [[Bagni di Lucca]], [[Tuscany]], [[Kingdom of Italy]]
|education = [[Houghton Seminary]]
| education = [[Houghton Academy]]
| father = [[Richard Falley Cleveland]]
| relatives = [[Grover Cleveland]] (brother)
}}
}}
'''Rose Elizabeth''' "'''Libby'''" '''Cleveland''' (June 13, 1846 – November 22, 1918) served as [[first lady of the United States]] from 1885 to 1886, during the first term of her brother, President [[Grover Cleveland]]'s two administrations. The president was a bachelor until he married [[Frances Folsom]] on June 2, 1886, fourteen months into his first term.<ref>{{cite web |title=Frances Cleveland Biography :: Rose Elizabeth Cleveland |url=http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=23 |website=firstladies.org |publisher=[[First Ladies National Historic Site|National First Ladies' Library]] |access-date=4 June 2018 |language=en}}</ref>
'''Rose Elizabeth''' "'''Libby'''" '''Cleveland''' (June 13, 1846 – November 22, 1918) was an American author and lecturer. She was acting [[first lady of the United States]] from 1885 to 1886, during the presidency of her brother, [[Grover Cleveland]]. Receiving an advanced education in her youth, Cleveland rejected traditional gender norms and sought a career for herself in a variety of literary and academic positions. When her unmarried brother was elected president, she acted in the role of first lady until his [[Wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom|wedding]] with [[Frances Folsom]]. She used the role of first lady as a platform for her support of [[women's suffrage]], expressing little interest in the household management associated with first ladies.


After leaving the [[White House]], Cleveland authored several fiction and nonfiction works, many relating to women's rights. She was editor of a literary magazine for several months, and she continued teaching and lecturing elsewhere. She met [[Evangeline Marrs Simpson]] in 1889, and the two became romantic partners, interrupted for several years by Simpson's marriage to [[Henry Benjamin Whipple]]. After reuniting, they moved to Italy in 1910, where Cleveland spent her final years engaged in relief efforts for war refugees during [[World War I]] and then for [[Spanish flu]] patients before contracting the disease herself and dying in 1918.
==Life and career==
[[File:Rose Cleveland, before 1918 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Rose Cleveland]]
Rose Elizabeth Cleveland was born in [[Fayetteville, New York]], on June 13, 1846. Known to her family as "Libby", Rose was the youngest of nine children born to [[Richard Falley Cleveland]] and Ann Neal Cleveland. In September 1853, the family moved to [[Holland Patent, New York]], where her father had just been appointed pastor of the [[Presbyterian]] church. He died the following month, with Rose being seven years old at the time of her father's death.{{cn|date=August 2023}}


==Early life==
Rose stayed in Holland Patent to care for her widowed mother. Grover Cleveland, Rose's elder brother, was 16 years old at the time and was determined to help support his family. He left school and went to [[New York City]] to work as a teacher at the State School for the Blind. Rose was educated at Houghton Seminary in [[Clinton, Clinton County, New York|Clinton, New York]], where she later became a teacher to support herself and also help support her widowed mother.{{cn|date=August 2023}}
Rose Elizabeth Cleveland was born in [[Fayetteville, New York]], on June 13, 1846. The ninth and youngest child of Reverend [[Richard Falley Cleveland]] and Ann Neal Cleveland, she was known as "Libby" within her family.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=181}} Even as a young child, Cleveland rejected gender norms where she encountered them, preferring an active lifestyle outdoors over more traditional women's activities.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Salenius |first=Sirpa |url=https://link.springer.com/book/10.1057/9781137452887 |title=Rose Elizabeth Cleveland: First Lady and Literary Scholar |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=2014 |doi=10.1057/9781137452887 |isbn=978-1-137-45288-7|s2cid=183053295 }}</ref>{{Rp|page=9}} The Clevelands moved to [[Holland Patent, New York]], in 1853, and their father died shortly afterward when Rose was seven years old.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Hardy |first=Rob |date=2007 |title=The Passion of Rose Elizabeth Cleveland |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/40244938 |journal=New England Review (1990-) |volume=28 |issue=1 |pages=180–193 |jstor=40244938 |issn=1053-1297}}</ref>{{Rp|page=181}}


Rose's brother [[Grover Cleveland]] saw to it that she was well-educated, personally paying for her schooling.<ref name="schneider">{{Cite book |last1=Schneider |first1=Dorothy |url=https://archive.org/details/firstladiesbiogr0000schn_k5c3 |title=First Ladies: A Biographical Dictionary |last2=Schneider |first2=Carl J. |publisher=Facts on File |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-4381-0815-5 |edition=3rd |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=392}} She attended [[Houghton Academy]] in Buffalo, New York, from 1864 to 1866.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=9}} Shortly after graduating, she took a position at the school teaching history and literature. The following year, in 1867, she taught literature, math, and Latin at the Collegiate Institute in [[Lafayette, Indiana]]. She then taught at [[Hamilton College]] and at a girls school in [[Muncy, Pennsylvania]], before returning home to her family home in Holland Patent, "The Weeds", during a period of illness.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=10}} Here she returned to Houghton Academy to again teach history,<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=10}} and she also began teaching [[Sunday school]].<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=181}} Eventually, her time in Holland Patent was spent caring for her mother until her death in 1882.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=181}} Besides teaching, Cleveland became a prominent lecturer in the state of New York, speaking at schools about things such as history and women's rights.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=11}}<ref name="schneider" />{{Rp|page=141}}
Rose also taught at the Collegiate Institute in [[Lafayette, Indiana]], and at a girls school in [[Muncy, Pennsylvania]], where she taught in the late 1860s. At Muncy Seminary Rose was known for her strong personality and independence.{{cn|date=August 2023}}


When her brother Grover [[1882 New York state election|was elected]] to be the [[governor of New York]] in 1882, Cleveland declined a teaching job in New York City so that she could assist him at the [[New York State Executive Mansion|Executive Mansion]].<ref name="scofield">{{Cite book |last=Scofield |first=Merry Ellen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N1K-CwAAQBAJ&q=best%2520dressed |title=A Companion to First Ladies |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-118-73218-2 |editor-last=Sibley |editor-first=Katherine A. S. |pages=265–282 |language=en |chapter=Rose Cleveland, Frances Cleveland, Caroline Harrison, Mary McKee |access-date=October 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230323145026/https://books.google.com/books?id=N1K-CwAAQBAJ&q=best%2520dressed |archive-date=March 23, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|page=266}} During this time she published her first two poems in [[The Independent (New York City)|''The Independent'']].<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=11}} Cleveland was with her brother at the Executive Mansion when he learned that he had [[1884 United States presidential election|been elected president]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Anthony |first=Carl Sferrazza |url=https://archive.org/details/firstladiessagao00anth |title=First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents' Wives and Their Power, 1789-1961 |publisher=William Morrow and Company |year=1990 |isbn=9780688112721 |language=en}}</ref>{{Rp|page=248}} and she stood by him during [[First inauguration of Grover Cleveland|his presidential inauguration]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Strock |first=Ian Randal |url=https://archive.org/details/rankingfirstladi0000stro |title=Ranking the First Ladies |publisher=Carrel Books |year=2016 |isbn=9781631440601 |pages=88}}</ref>
Rose gained a nickname within her circle of friends in Muncy; they called her "Johnny Cleveland" because she was usually found reading a book under an old tree at a nearby farm. Rose then prepared a course of historical lectures; one lecture, in particular, focused on [[Altruism|altruistic]] faith, which she delivered before the students of Houghton Seminary and at other schools.{{cn|date=August 2023}}


==Acting first lady of the United States==
In the 1880s Rose returned to Holland Patent to care for her ailing mother. During this time she taught at Sunday School and did some work in literature. When not employed in this manner, she devoted herself to her aged mother in the homestead at Holland Patent until her mother's death in 1882.<ref name="appletons">{{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Cleveland, Grover|year=1900}}</ref> After Ann Neal Cleveland's death, Rose was left alone at the homestead known as "The Weeds."{{cn|date=August 2023}}
[[File:Rose Cleveland, before 1918 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Rose Cleveland]]When Cleveland's brother Grover became [[president of the United States]], he had no wife to serve as first lady, so he asked her to fulfill the role.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=181}} She accepted the position, though she had little interest in it; she preferred academic life to social life.<ref name=":1" /> As was typical of first ladies of the time, she was responsible purely for domestic aspects of the White House, including the organization of social events.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=24}} She most commonly held receptions in the [[Blue Room (White House)|Blue Room]].<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=24}} She grew bored with White House reception lines and once said that to pass the time she would conjugate Greek verbs in her head.<ref name="caroli">{{Cite book |last=Caroli |first=Betty Boyd |authorlink=Betty Boyd Caroli |url=https://archive.org/details/firstladiesfromm0000caro |title=First Ladies: From Martha Washington to Michelle Obama |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-19-539285-2 |pages=105 |language=en}}</ref>


Cleveland was more academically-inclined than most women of her era.<ref name="caroli" /> Among the prominent guests that visited the White House, she was more interested in speaking to those such as historian [[George Bancroft]].<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=182}} Her education served her well in the White House, where knowledge of history and foreign languages was an asset when speaking to dignitaries from around the world.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=22}} Shortly after her time as acting first lady began, she published her first book: ''[[George Eliot]]'s Poetry, and Other Studies.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="scofield" />''{{Rp|page=267}} She also published a novel, ''The Long Run'', in 1886.''<ref name=":1" />'' Because she was a woman, the press did not treat her seriously as an intellectual.<ref name="caroli" /> Despite this, her national renown as first lady helped sales, and she ultimately earned $25,000 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=25000|start_year=1886|r=-3|fmt=eq}}) in royalties across twelve published editions.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=248}}<ref name="schneider" />{{Rp|page=393}}
Rose continued to teach Sunday School and give lectures. In one lecture on altruistic faith, she stated, "We cannot touch humanity at large, except as we touch humanity in the individual. We make the world a better place through our concrete relationships, not through our vague, general good will. We must each find a true partner, someone who understands and appreciates us, someone whose faith in us brings out our best efforts. Our deepest craving is for recognition—to be known by another human being for what we truly are."<ref>''The Passion of Rose Elizabeth Cleveland'' Hardy, Rob [[New England Review]] 28.1 (2007) pp. 180–193, 207</ref>


The president kept the press from taking pictures of Cleveland, meaning that descriptions of her were often second-hand.''<ref name="scofield" />''{{Rp|page=248}} She was described by contemporaries as "masculine" and as a "[[bluestocking]]".<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=248}}''<ref name="scofield" />''{{Rp|page=268}} Many who knew her found her firm demeanor to be intimidating.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=249}} Her seriousness and respectability contrasted with her brother, particularly after he was discovered to have fathered a child out of wedlock.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Brockell |first=Gillian |date=2019-06-20 |title=A gay first lady? Yes, we've already had one, and here are her love letters. |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/06/20/she-was-once-first-lady-she-is-buried-next-her-longtime-female-partner/ |url-status=live |access-date=2023-09-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620164312/https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/06/20/she-was-once-first-lady-she-is-buried-next-her-longtime-female-partner/ |archive-date=June 20, 2019 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> She was also praised for her ability to remember everyone who she interacted with.''<ref name="scofield" />''{{Rp|page=266}}
==White House years==
When her elder brother, [[Grover Cleveland]], became the [[22nd President of the United States]] in March 1885, Rose assumed the duties of First Lady and lived in the [[White House]] for fifteen months. She stood by her brother during his inauguration and was his hostess during his bachelor years in the [[White House]].


Cleveland held strong [[Progressivism in the United States|progressive]] opinions, and she continued to express them while she was acting as first lady.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=23}} She publicly supported [[Women's suffrage in the United States|women's suffrage]], and she supported the [[Temperance movement in the United States|temperance movement]], banning wine in the White House.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=248}}<ref name="schneider" />{{Rp|page=141}} She lived by the ideal of the [[New Woman]] that was advocated by the feminist movement of the time.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=5}} She was sympathetic to the [[Victorian dress reform]] movement, but she limited herself to wearing low-cut dresses that exposed her shoulders—still a controversial choice.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=25}} Cleveland used her platform as first lady to promote the [[Women's Anthropological Society]], which advocated the inclusion of women in science.''<ref name="scofield" />''{{Rp|page=266}} She still held other prejudices common of the time, advising her brother not to appoint a significant number of [[Catholics]] to government positions.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=249}}
During her early tenure as First Lady, Rose received front-page treatment from ''[[The New York Times]]'' about her appearance during her second reception at the White House. The newspaper reported that Miss Cleveland wore a dress of black satin, with entire overdress of Spanish lace. The satin bodice was cut low and sleeveless, and the transparent lace revealed the shoulders and arms. Rose Cleveland did not completely fit into Washington high society. It was said, "Rose Cleveland was a [[bluestocking]], more interested in pursuing scholarly endeavors than in entertaining cabinet wives and foreign dignitaries."<ref>[http://millercenter.org/president/cleveland/essays/firstlady American President A Reference Resource. ''Rose Cleveland, Frances Cleveland'']</ref> Rose was an intellectual, and she preferred to lecture rather than entertain, but she made sure to perform her duties as First Lady as a favor to her brother.


While she was acting as first lady, Cleveland became the subject of a ballad by [[Eugene Field]] in which she asked President Cleveland about whether he intended to marry.<ref name=":0" />{{Rp|page=250}} When her brother's bride, [[Frances Folsom]], arrived in Washington in June 1, 1886, Cleveland met her and her mother at the train station and escorted them to the White House. Cleveland approved of the marriage, in large part because it meant that she could return to her previous life.<ref name="schneider" />{{Rp|page=141}} She helped organize [[Wedding of Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom|their wedding]], and she left the White House after they were married, though she often returned in a social capacity.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=26}}
When President Cleveland married [[Frances Cleveland|Frances Folsom]], Rose left the White House and began a career in education. She became the principal of the Collegiate Institute of [[Lafayette, Indiana]], a writer and lecturer, and the editor of the Chicago-based magazine ''Literary Life''.<ref name="Lillian Faderman">[[Lillian Faderman]], ''Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America'', Penguin Books Ltd, 1991, p. 32</ref>


==Later years==
==Later life==
[[File:Evangeline Simpson Whipple (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Evangeline Marrs Whipple]]]]
At age 44, she started a relationship with a wealthy widow, [[Evangeline Marrs Whipple|Evangeline Marrs Simpson]], with explicitly erotic correspondence.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/06/20/she-was-once-first-lady-she-is-buried-next-her-longtime-female-partner/ |title=A gay first lady? Yes, we've already had one, and here are her love letters. |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |first=Gillian |last=Brockwell |date=2019-06-20 |access-date=2019-06-21}}</ref> The tone of their letters cooled when Evangeline married an [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]] bishop from [[Minnesota]], [[Henry Benjamin Whipple]], despite Cleveland's protests.<ref name="Solly 2019">{{cite web |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-book-chronicles-first-lady-rose-clevelands-love-affair-evangeline-simpson-whipple-180972472/ |title=New Book Chronicles First Lady Rose Cleveland's Love Affair With Evangeline Simpson Whipple |work=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]] |first=Meilan |last=Solly |date=2019-09-21 |access-date=2019-06-21}}</ref>


=== Literary and academic career ===
[[File:III Cimitero Inglese, Bagni di Lucca, Italia 3 (2).jpg|thumb|left|English Cemetery, [[Bagni di Lucca]], Italy]]
A month after Cleveland left the White House, she moved to Chicago to become the editor of the magazine ''Literary Life''. Her brother urged her to decline, fearing that the magazine only wished to take advantage of her relation to the president. He offered her an annual sum of $6,000 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=6000|start_year=1886|fmt=eq}}) to not take any such position.''<ref name="scofield" />''{{Rp|page=267}} She refused any income from her brother, wishing to be financially independent.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=31}} To be the editor of a magazine was rare for women at the time.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=42}} Cleveland served as editor for only a few months before leaving, as she fell ill and the magazine was having financial problems.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=186}} To complicate matters further, her family home, The Weeds, had caught fire.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=42}}
After Whipple's death in 1901, the two women rekindled their relationship and eventually, in 1910, moved to [[Bagni di Lucca]], Italy, to live there together.<ref name="Solly 2019"/> They shared the house with the English illustrator and artist [[Nelly Erichsen]]. Rose died at home on November 22, 1918, at 7:32 in the evening during the [[1918 flu pandemic]]. She was buried there in the English Cemetery, and Evangeline was also buried next to Rose in the same cemetery 12 years later.<ref name="Lillian Faderman"/><ref>{{cite web|author=Evangeline Marrs Simpson Whipple |url=http://www.inhonorofthepeople.org/people/evangeline-whipple#%26discussions |title=Evangeline Whipple |publisher=In honor of the people |date=1930-09-01 |access-date=2016-09-07}}</ref><ref>[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-book-chronicles-first-lady-rose-clevelands-love-affair-evangeline-simpson-whipple-180972472/ New Book Chronicles First Lady Rose Cleveland’s Love Affair With Evangeline Simpson Whipple] Smithsonian Magazine</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=vf2nAwAAQBAJ&dq=rose+cleveland+influenza&pg=PT89 Rose Elizabeth Cleveland: First Lady and Literary Scholar by Sirpa Salenius]</ref>


In 1887, Cleveland moved to New York City to teach history at Sylvanus Reed's School for Girls.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=189}} She rarely went out while teaching at the boarding school, instead focusing on her writing.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=49}} She left the following year after a disagreement with Reed regarding salary.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|pages=47–48}} In the final days of Grover's presidency, the first lady held a lunch in Rose's honor.<ref name="schneider" />{{Rp|page=144}} Cleveland made several trips to Europe over the following years.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=50}} She continued to express her political beliefs after leaving the White House. In 1887, she published a short story that was critical of women's fashion, which she believed was detrimental to women's health. In 1909, she signed the national petition supporting women's suffrage.''<ref name="scofield" />''{{Rp|page=266}}
==Works==

* [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Search/Home?type%5B%5D=author&lookfor%5B%5D=%22Cleveland%2C%20Rose%20Elizabeth%22&page=1&pagesize=20&ft= Rose Elizabeth Cleveland works at Hathi Trust]
=== Relationship with Evangeline Marrs Whipple ===
* [https://archive.org/search.php?query=Rose+Elizabeth+Cleveland%22&and%5B%5D=creator%3A%22cleveland%2C+rose+elizabeth%2C+1846-1918%22&page=11 Rose Elizabeth Cleveland works at archive.org]
[[File:III Cimitero Inglese, Bagni di Lucca, Italia 3 (2).jpg|thumb|The graves of Cleveland and Whipple in [[Bagni di Lucca]], Italy]]
In 1889, Cleveland met [[Evangeline Marrs Simpson]] while staying in Florida and began a romance with her.''<ref name="scofield" />{{Rp|page=267}}'' The two had similar interests and educational backgrounds.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=70}} Their relationship progressed over the following years, and their correspondences became more explicitly sexual.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Faderman |first=Lillian |url=https://archive.org/details/oddgirlstwilight00fade |title=Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America |publisher=Columbia University Press |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-231-53074-3 |pages=33 |language=en}}</ref> The relationship was known by their families,<ref name=":3" /> but there is no indication that the public knew of their relationship's romantic nature.''<ref name="scofield" />{{Rp|page=267}}'' Their relationship ended in 1892, when Simpson was engaged to the bishop [[Henry Benjamin Whipple]], despite Cleveland's protests. Cleveland felt betrayed by Simpsons' decision to marry, and she traveled to Europe for a year to escape the situation.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=72}} She returned to the United States to work as a teacher, but she returned to Europe after the wedding in 1896, staying for another three years.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=73}} Her correspondences with Evangeline Whipple were formal and emotionless.<ref name=":3" /> Cleveland returned to The Weeds in 1899, living for a time with a new partner, Evelyn.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|pages=73–74}} Cleveland and Whipple began their frequent correspondence again after the bishop's death in 1901, and they had reunited by 1905.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=74}}

When Whipple's brother fell ill in Italy in 1910, they moved to the country to care for him.<ref name=":3" /> They chose to remain in the country afterward, settling in [[Bagni di Lucca]].''<ref name="scofield" />''{{Rp|page=267}} Cleveland felt less of an inclination to write while living in Italy, as social norms were more relaxed in Italy in a way that allowed expats to have same-sex relationships.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=6}} When [[World War I]] began, Cleveland and Whipple contributed to the war effort, both before and after Italy entered the war, and Cleveland began giving speeches to encourage additional support for refugees of the war.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|pages=75–76}} In 1918, Cleveland and Whipple founded a girls school in Bagni di Lucca. When the [[Spanish flu]] reached Italy, they and a third woman, [[Nelly Erichsen]], began treating the sick until Erichsen contracted the disease and died.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=78}} Cleveland contracted the flu while caring for Erichsen, and she died on November 22, 1918.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=78}}''<ref name="scofield" />{{Rp|page=267}}'' Her funeral was attended by many of the refugees that she had helped, as well as the American consul and the mayor of Bagni di Lucca. Her coffin was draped with the 13-star [[flag of the United States]], and the mayor ordered all businesses closed for the day.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=79}} Whipple was later buried beside Cleveland upon her own death twelve years later.<ref name=":2" />

Cleveland's romantic letters to Whipple were acquired by the [[Minnesota Historical Society]] as part of their collection on Henry Benjamin Whipple. They were kept sealed until the [[Rainbow Round Table|Gay Task Force]] of the [[American Library Association]] requested that they be catalogued in 1978.''<ref name="scofield" />''{{Rp|pages=267–268}} They were published as a full collection in 2019.<ref name=":3" />

==Written works==
[[File:Rose elisabeth cleveland, gravure (cropped).png|thumb|An etching of Cleveland that appeared in ''George Eliot's Poetry, and Other Studies'' (1885)]]
Rose Cleveland wrote or contributed to multiple literary works in her lifetime. Her writings often explored themes of women's rights and social norms surrounding gender and sexuality.<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=2}} She wrote multiple works of fiction about a doctor treating an unknown illness. In some cases, the illness is an allegory for subjugation of women.<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=188}}

The works written or co-written by Cleveland include:

* "Sketches of History" – An 1885 collection of lectures<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=12}}
* ''George Eliot's Poetry, and Other Studies'' – An 1885 collection of literary analysis essays''<ref name="scofield" />''{{Rp|page=267}}
* ''The Long Run'' – An 1886 novel''<ref name=":1" />''
* "The Dilemma of the Nineteenth Century" – A satirical 1886 poem about women's rights, published in ''[[Lippincott's Monthly Magazine]]''<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=187}}
* "Woman in the Home" – An 1886 essay about women's rights, published in ''[[The Chautauquan]]''<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=187}}
* "Robin Adair" – An 1887 short romance story, published in ''[[Godey's Lady's Book]]''; Cleveland used the story to criticize women's fashion''<ref name="scofield" />''{{Rp|page=267}}
* ''[https://digital.lib.niu.edu/islandora/object/niu-gildedage%3A23721 How to Win: A Book for Girls]'' – An 1887 book co-authored by Cleveland with suffragist [[Frances Willard]]''<ref name=":1" />''
* "My Florida" – An 1890 essay encouraging readers to visit Florida<ref name=":4" />{{Rp|page=190}}
Cleveland also contributed to writings by others:

* ''You and I: Or Moral, Intellectual and Social Culture'' – An 1886 collection of essays about etiquette with an introduction written by Cleveland<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=31}}
* ''Literary Life'' – A literary magazine of which Cleveland was the editor for several months in 1886''<ref name="scofield" />''{{Rp|page=267}}
* ''American Magazine of History'' – A magazine with which Cleveland was involved<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=47}}
* ''The Social Mirror'' – An 1888 updated edition of ''You and I'' with a modified introduction written by Cleveland<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=49}}
* ''Our Society'' – An 1893 etiquette book that uses a variation of Cleveland's introduction from ''You and I'' and ''The Social Mirror<ref name=":5" />{{Rp|page=49}}''
* ''[[Soliloquies of Augustine]]'' – Translated by Cleveland in 1910 with annotations''<ref name=":1" />''


==References==
==References==
'''Notes'''
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist|2}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
*{{Cite book |title=Precious and Adored: The Love Letters of Rose Cleveland and Evangeline Simpson Whipple, 1890–1918 |publisher=Minnesota Historical Society Press |year=2019 |isbn=9781681341293 |editor-last=Ehrenhalt |editor-first=Lizzie |editor-last2=Laskey |editor-first2=Tilly}}
*Hardy, Rob. "The Passion of Rose Elizabeth Cleveland." ''New England Review'' 28.1 (2007): 180, 193, 207
*Lillie, Lucy C. "The Mistress of the White House." ''Lippincotts Monthly Magazine'' 1887: 81&ndash;94
*Lillie, Lucy C. "The Mistress of the White House." ''Lippincotts Monthly Magazine'' 1887: 81&ndash;94
*"Society Stars." ''Boston Daily Globe'' (Mar 14 1886): 4.
*"Society Stars." ''Boston Daily Globe'' (Mar 14 1886): 4.


== External links ==

* [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Search/Home?type%5B%5D=author&lookfor%5B%5D=%22Cleveland%2C%20Rose%20Elizabeth%22&page=1&pagesize=20&ft= Rose Elizabeth Cleveland works at Hathi Trust]
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Latest revision as of 16:39, 19 November 2024

Rose Cleveland
Acting First Lady of the United States
In role
March 4, 1885 – June 2, 1886
PresidentGrover Cleveland
Preceded byMary McElroy (acting)
Succeeded byFrances Cleveland
Personal details
Born
Rose Elizabeth Cleveland

(1846-06-13)June 13, 1846
Fayetteville, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 22, 1918(1918-11-22) (aged 72)
Bagni di Lucca, Tuscany, Kingdom of Italy
Parent
RelativesGrover Cleveland (brother)
EducationHoughton Academy

Rose Elizabeth "Libby" Cleveland (June 13, 1846 – November 22, 1918) was an American author and lecturer. She was acting first lady of the United States from 1885 to 1886, during the presidency of her brother, Grover Cleveland. Receiving an advanced education in her youth, Cleveland rejected traditional gender norms and sought a career for herself in a variety of literary and academic positions. When her unmarried brother was elected president, she acted in the role of first lady until his wedding with Frances Folsom. She used the role of first lady as a platform for her support of women's suffrage, expressing little interest in the household management associated with first ladies.

After leaving the White House, Cleveland authored several fiction and nonfiction works, many relating to women's rights. She was editor of a literary magazine for several months, and she continued teaching and lecturing elsewhere. She met Evangeline Marrs Simpson in 1889, and the two became romantic partners, interrupted for several years by Simpson's marriage to Henry Benjamin Whipple. After reuniting, they moved to Italy in 1910, where Cleveland spent her final years engaged in relief efforts for war refugees during World War I and then for Spanish flu patients before contracting the disease herself and dying in 1918.

Early life

[edit]

Rose Elizabeth Cleveland was born in Fayetteville, New York, on June 13, 1846. The ninth and youngest child of Reverend Richard Falley Cleveland and Ann Neal Cleveland, she was known as "Libby" within her family.[1]: 181  Even as a young child, Cleveland rejected gender norms where she encountered them, preferring an active lifestyle outdoors over more traditional women's activities.[2]: 9  The Clevelands moved to Holland Patent, New York, in 1853, and their father died shortly afterward when Rose was seven years old.[1]: 181 

Rose's brother Grover Cleveland saw to it that she was well-educated, personally paying for her schooling.[3]: 392  She attended Houghton Academy in Buffalo, New York, from 1864 to 1866.[2]: 9  Shortly after graduating, she took a position at the school teaching history and literature. The following year, in 1867, she taught literature, math, and Latin at the Collegiate Institute in Lafayette, Indiana. She then taught at Hamilton College and at a girls school in Muncy, Pennsylvania, before returning home to her family home in Holland Patent, "The Weeds", during a period of illness.[2]: 10  Here she returned to Houghton Academy to again teach history,[2]: 10  and she also began teaching Sunday school.[1]: 181  Eventually, her time in Holland Patent was spent caring for her mother until her death in 1882.[1]: 181  Besides teaching, Cleveland became a prominent lecturer in the state of New York, speaking at schools about things such as history and women's rights.[2]: 11 [3]: 141 

When her brother Grover was elected to be the governor of New York in 1882, Cleveland declined a teaching job in New York City so that she could assist him at the Executive Mansion.[4]: 266  During this time she published her first two poems in The Independent.[2]: 11  Cleveland was with her brother at the Executive Mansion when he learned that he had been elected president,[5]: 248  and she stood by him during his presidential inauguration.[6]

Acting first lady of the United States

[edit]
Rose Cleveland

When Cleveland's brother Grover became president of the United States, he had no wife to serve as first lady, so he asked her to fulfill the role.[1]: 181  She accepted the position, though she had little interest in it; she preferred academic life to social life.[6] As was typical of first ladies of the time, she was responsible purely for domestic aspects of the White House, including the organization of social events.[2]: 24  She most commonly held receptions in the Blue Room.[2]: 24  She grew bored with White House reception lines and once said that to pass the time she would conjugate Greek verbs in her head.[7]

Cleveland was more academically-inclined than most women of her era.[7] Among the prominent guests that visited the White House, she was more interested in speaking to those such as historian George Bancroft.[1]: 182  Her education served her well in the White House, where knowledge of history and foreign languages was an asset when speaking to dignitaries from around the world.[2]: 22  Shortly after her time as acting first lady began, she published her first book: George Eliot's Poetry, and Other Studies.[6][4]: 267  She also published a novel, The Long Run, in 1886.[6] Because she was a woman, the press did not treat her seriously as an intellectual.[7] Despite this, her national renown as first lady helped sales, and she ultimately earned $25,000 (equivalent to $848,000 in 2023) in royalties across twelve published editions.[5]: 248 [3]: 393 

The president kept the press from taking pictures of Cleveland, meaning that descriptions of her were often second-hand.[4]: 248  She was described by contemporaries as "masculine" and as a "bluestocking".[5]: 248 [4]: 268  Many who knew her found her firm demeanor to be intimidating.[5]: 249  Her seriousness and respectability contrasted with her brother, particularly after he was discovered to have fathered a child out of wedlock.[8] She was also praised for her ability to remember everyone who she interacted with.[4]: 266 

Cleveland held strong progressive opinions, and she continued to express them while she was acting as first lady.[2]: 23  She publicly supported women's suffrage, and she supported the temperance movement, banning wine in the White House.[5]: 248 [3]: 141  She lived by the ideal of the New Woman that was advocated by the feminist movement of the time.[2]: 5  She was sympathetic to the Victorian dress reform movement, but she limited herself to wearing low-cut dresses that exposed her shoulders—still a controversial choice.[2]: 25  Cleveland used her platform as first lady to promote the Women's Anthropological Society, which advocated the inclusion of women in science.[4]: 266  She still held other prejudices common of the time, advising her brother not to appoint a significant number of Catholics to government positions.[5]: 249 

While she was acting as first lady, Cleveland became the subject of a ballad by Eugene Field in which she asked President Cleveland about whether he intended to marry.[5]: 250  When her brother's bride, Frances Folsom, arrived in Washington in June 1, 1886, Cleveland met her and her mother at the train station and escorted them to the White House. Cleveland approved of the marriage, in large part because it meant that she could return to her previous life.[3]: 141  She helped organize their wedding, and she left the White House after they were married, though she often returned in a social capacity.[2]: 26 

Later life

[edit]

Literary and academic career

[edit]

A month after Cleveland left the White House, she moved to Chicago to become the editor of the magazine Literary Life. Her brother urged her to decline, fearing that the magazine only wished to take advantage of her relation to the president. He offered her an annual sum of $6,000 (equivalent to $203,467 in 2023) to not take any such position.[4]: 267  She refused any income from her brother, wishing to be financially independent.[2]: 31  To be the editor of a magazine was rare for women at the time.[2]: 42  Cleveland served as editor for only a few months before leaving, as she fell ill and the magazine was having financial problems.[1]: 186  To complicate matters further, her family home, The Weeds, had caught fire.[2]: 42 

In 1887, Cleveland moved to New York City to teach history at Sylvanus Reed's School for Girls.[1]: 189  She rarely went out while teaching at the boarding school, instead focusing on her writing.[2]: 49  She left the following year after a disagreement with Reed regarding salary.[2]: 47–48  In the final days of Grover's presidency, the first lady held a lunch in Rose's honor.[3]: 144  Cleveland made several trips to Europe over the following years.[2]: 50  She continued to express her political beliefs after leaving the White House. In 1887, she published a short story that was critical of women's fashion, which she believed was detrimental to women's health. In 1909, she signed the national petition supporting women's suffrage.[4]: 266 

Relationship with Evangeline Marrs Whipple

[edit]
The graves of Cleveland and Whipple in Bagni di Lucca, Italy

In 1889, Cleveland met Evangeline Marrs Simpson while staying in Florida and began a romance with her.[4]: 267  The two had similar interests and educational backgrounds.[2]: 70  Their relationship progressed over the following years, and their correspondences became more explicitly sexual.[9] The relationship was known by their families,[8] but there is no indication that the public knew of their relationship's romantic nature.[4]: 267  Their relationship ended in 1892, when Simpson was engaged to the bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple, despite Cleveland's protests. Cleveland felt betrayed by Simpsons' decision to marry, and she traveled to Europe for a year to escape the situation.[2]: 72  She returned to the United States to work as a teacher, but she returned to Europe after the wedding in 1896, staying for another three years.[2]: 73  Her correspondences with Evangeline Whipple were formal and emotionless.[8] Cleveland returned to The Weeds in 1899, living for a time with a new partner, Evelyn.[2]: 73–74  Cleveland and Whipple began their frequent correspondence again after the bishop's death in 1901, and they had reunited by 1905.[2]: 74 

When Whipple's brother fell ill in Italy in 1910, they moved to the country to care for him.[8] They chose to remain in the country afterward, settling in Bagni di Lucca.[4]: 267  Cleveland felt less of an inclination to write while living in Italy, as social norms were more relaxed in Italy in a way that allowed expats to have same-sex relationships.[2]: 6  When World War I began, Cleveland and Whipple contributed to the war effort, both before and after Italy entered the war, and Cleveland began giving speeches to encourage additional support for refugees of the war.[2]: 75–76  In 1918, Cleveland and Whipple founded a girls school in Bagni di Lucca. When the Spanish flu reached Italy, they and a third woman, Nelly Erichsen, began treating the sick until Erichsen contracted the disease and died.[2]: 78  Cleveland contracted the flu while caring for Erichsen, and she died on November 22, 1918.[2]: 78 [4]: 267  Her funeral was attended by many of the refugees that she had helped, as well as the American consul and the mayor of Bagni di Lucca. Her coffin was draped with the 13-star flag of the United States, and the mayor ordered all businesses closed for the day.[2]: 79  Whipple was later buried beside Cleveland upon her own death twelve years later.[9]

Cleveland's romantic letters to Whipple were acquired by the Minnesota Historical Society as part of their collection on Henry Benjamin Whipple. They were kept sealed until the Gay Task Force of the American Library Association requested that they be catalogued in 1978.[4]: 267–268  They were published as a full collection in 2019.[8]

Written works

[edit]
An etching of Cleveland that appeared in George Eliot's Poetry, and Other Studies (1885)

Rose Cleveland wrote or contributed to multiple literary works in her lifetime. Her writings often explored themes of women's rights and social norms surrounding gender and sexuality.[2]: 2  She wrote multiple works of fiction about a doctor treating an unknown illness. In some cases, the illness is an allegory for subjugation of women.[1]: 188 

The works written or co-written by Cleveland include:

  • "Sketches of History" – An 1885 collection of lectures[2]: 12 
  • George Eliot's Poetry, and Other Studies – An 1885 collection of literary analysis essays[4]: 267 
  • The Long Run – An 1886 novel[6]
  • "The Dilemma of the Nineteenth Century" – A satirical 1886 poem about women's rights, published in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine[1]: 187 
  • "Woman in the Home" – An 1886 essay about women's rights, published in The Chautauquan[1]: 187 
  • "Robin Adair" – An 1887 short romance story, published in Godey's Lady's Book; Cleveland used the story to criticize women's fashion[4]: 267 
  • How to Win: A Book for Girls – An 1887 book co-authored by Cleveland with suffragist Frances Willard[6]
  • "My Florida" – An 1890 essay encouraging readers to visit Florida[1]: 190 

Cleveland also contributed to writings by others:

  • You and I: Or Moral, Intellectual and Social Culture – An 1886 collection of essays about etiquette with an introduction written by Cleveland[2]: 31 
  • Literary Life – A literary magazine of which Cleveland was the editor for several months in 1886[4]: 267 
  • American Magazine of History – A magazine with which Cleveland was involved[2]: 47 
  • The Social Mirror – An 1888 updated edition of You and I with a modified introduction written by Cleveland[2]: 49 
  • Our Society – An 1893 etiquette book that uses a variation of Cleveland's introduction from You and I and The Social Mirror[2]: 49 
  • Soliloquies of Augustine – Translated by Cleveland in 1910 with annotations[6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Hardy, Rob (2007). "The Passion of Rose Elizabeth Cleveland". New England Review (1990-). 28 (1): 180–193. ISSN 1053-1297. JSTOR 40244938.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai Salenius, Sirpa (2014). Rose Elizabeth Cleveland: First Lady and Literary Scholar. Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1057/9781137452887. ISBN 978-1-137-45288-7. S2CID 183053295.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Schneider, Dorothy; Schneider, Carl J. (2010). First Ladies: A Biographical Dictionary (3rd ed.). Facts on File. ISBN 978-1-4381-0815-5.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Scofield, Merry Ellen (2016). "Rose Cleveland, Frances Cleveland, Caroline Harrison, Mary McKee". In Sibley, Katherine A. S. (ed.). A Companion to First Ladies. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 265–282. ISBN 978-1-118-73218-2. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Anthony, Carl Sferrazza (1990). First Ladies: The Saga of the Presidents' Wives and Their Power, 1789-1961. William Morrow and Company. ISBN 9780688112721.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Strock, Ian Randal (2016). Ranking the First Ladies. Carrel Books. p. 88. ISBN 9781631440601.
  7. ^ a b c Caroli, Betty Boyd (2010). First Ladies: From Martha Washington to Michelle Obama. Oxford University Press. p. 105. ISBN 978-0-19-539285-2.
  8. ^ a b c d e Brockell, Gillian (June 20, 2019). "A gay first lady? Yes, we've already had one, and here are her love letters". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Faderman, Lillian (2012). Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America. Columbia University Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0-231-53074-3.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Ehrenhalt, Lizzie; Laskey, Tilly, eds. (2019). Precious and Adored: The Love Letters of Rose Cleveland and Evangeline Simpson Whipple, 1890–1918. Minnesota Historical Society Press. ISBN 9781681341293.
  • Lillie, Lucy C. "The Mistress of the White House." Lippincotts Monthly Magazine 1887: 81–94
  • "Society Stars." Boston Daily Globe (Mar 14 1886): 4.
[edit]
Honorary titles
Preceded by First Lady of the United States
Acting
1885–1886 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Rose_Cleveland&oldid=1258418627"