1881 Buffalo mayoral election

Last updated August 21, 2025

← 1879

November 8, 1881 (1881-11-08)


Nominee	Grover Cleveland	Milton Beebe
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	15,120	11,528
Percentage	56.74%	43.26%

Mayor before election

Alexander Brush
Republican

Elected mayor

Grover Cleveland
Democratic

State government

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The 1881 mayoral election in Buffalo, New York , saw the election of former Erie County Sheriff Grover Cleveland, who defeated architect and alderman Milton Beebe by what was considered a broad margin.^[1]

Cleveland would not serve out his entire term as mayor, as he would be subsequently elected Governor of New York the following year.

Results

1881 Buffalo mayoral election^[2]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Grover Cleveland	15,120	56.74%
	Republican	Milton Beebe	11,528	43.26%

References

↑ Przepasniak, Ellen (January 2, 2019). "Jan. 2, 1882: Grover Cleveland begins brief term as mayor of Buffalo". Buffalo News. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
↑ Nevins, Allan. Grover Cleveland: A Study in Courage (1932) p. 83.

v t e Grover Cleveland
22nd (1885–1889) and 24th (1893–1897) President of the United States 28th Governor of New York (1883–1885)
Life	Grover Cleveland Birthplace New York Institute for Special Education 1881 Buffalo mayoral election 1882 New York state election Mugwumps Westland Mansion Gray Gables
Presidencies	1884 presidential election Campaign Democratic National Convention First inauguration Wedding to Frances Folsom Foreign policy Presidential Succession Act of 1886 Electoral Count Act Interstate Commerce Act of 1887 Interstate Commerce Commission Tenure of Office Act Dependent and Disability Pension Act Hatch Act of 1887 Agricultural Experiment Stations Act of 1887 Texas Seed Bill Berlin Conference Scott Act Dawes Act Indian Appropriations Act of 1889 Federal judges appointed 1888 presidential election Campaign Democratic National Convention Murchison letter 1892 presidential election Campaign Democratic National Convention Second inauguration Panic of 1893 Sherman Silver Purchase Act Wilson–Gorman Tariff Act Coxey's Army Pullman Strike Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom Venezuelan crisis of 1895 Enabling Act of 1889 National Democratic Party
Public image	Cleveland National Forest Cleveland Park Grover Cleveland High School Buffalo, New York Los Angeles Queens Cleveland, Mississippi Mount Cleveland (Alaska) Mount Cleveland (Vermont) SS President Cleveland (1920) SS President Cleveland (1947)
Family	Frances Cleveland (wife) Ruth Cleveland (daughter) Esther Cleveland (daughter) Richard F. Cleveland (son) Francis Cleveland (son) Philippa Foot (granddaughter) Richard Falley Cleveland (father) Rose Cleveland (sister) Richard Falley Jr. (great-grandfather)
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