Grover Cleveland Admits to Illegitimate Son
In our scandal series, imagine hearing the following chant at a campaign rally:
“Ma, Ma, where’s my pa?”
“He’s going to the white house. ha ha ha!”
Grover Cleveland had a pretty spotless reputation when he nabbed the Democratic nomination for president in 1884, but his opponents would soon use his personal life against him. The media exposed him for having an illegitimate son by a woman named Maria Halpin. Legend has it that Halpin was involved with several of Cleveland’s married business partners and that he took financial responsibility for the boy to save his colleagues’ relationships. When opposition protesters chanted “Ma, ma, where’s my pa” at his campaign rallies, Cleveland, who still won the election, chuckled, “On his way to the White House.” The unofficial story, however, may be uglier. The Daily Beast reports that Cleveland’s one-night stand with Halpin, a young widow with two children from her marriage, may not have been consensual. She also was reportedly institutionalized briefly and had the child taken away from her. Yikes. http://www.nickiswift.com
How do you think this would go over today?