President Cleveland was the exemplar of what was once called a “Bourbon Democrat” — the wing of that party that favored the gold standard against inflationary bimetallism, small government (Cleveland famously vetoed federal aid for drought-stricken Texas farmers), and a relatively anti-imperial foreign policy. In other words, Bourbons were classical liberals or something close. In the eyes of populists and progressives — the William Jennings Bryan and later Woodrow Wilson factions of the party — they were conservatives, even reactionaries.

Grover Cleveland is also the nom de Web of the political scientist behind the smart new Pileus blog, where Free State Project founder Jason Sorens, Stanford law professor Marcus Cole, and other contemporary classical liberals congregate. The site is well worth checking out — and I don’t just say that because Sorens has a thoughtful post about my recent Red Tory article there.