In 1893, Esther Cleveland was the first baby born to a president in the White House. Her mother, Frances Cleveland, was the nation’s youngest first lady.
On this date 125 years ago, Esther Cleveland, the second child of President and Mrs. Grover Cleveland, was born. While the current First Daughter is serving on her father’s staff, and there have been other famous and successful daughters to the president, even Cleveland’s eldest daughter, Ruth, was allegedly the inspiration for the Baby Ruth candy bar, Esther was the first child born to a chief executive while living in the White House. Seven years earlier, in 1886, Cleveland was the first president married at the White House when he wed Frances Folsom, who was nearly three decades younger than him. He was also the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms. He left office for the last time in 1897 and died 11 years later after a steady decline in health. Mrs. Cleveland, who remarried, lived until 1947. She holds the record as the youngest wife of a sitting president. As for Esther, she married a British army captain at Westminster Abbey in London in 1918 at age 25. Their daughter, Philippa Foot, was a philosopher known for her work in ethics.
