The 1896 Democratic National Convention repudiated Cleveland and nominated silverite William Jennings Bryan , but Bryan was defeated by Republican William McKinley in the 1896 presidential election . Cleveland left office extremely unpopular , but his reputation was quickly rehabilitated by scholars like Allan Nevins . More recent historians and biographers have taken a more ambivalent view of Cleveland , but many note Cleveland 's role in re-asserting the power of the presidency . In rankings of American presidents by historians and political scientists , Cleveland is generally ranked as an average president
1896 Democratic National Convention
1896 Democratic National Convention
Presidencies of Grover Cleveland