Medical Mystery: Grover Cleveland's Secret Operation

Grover Cleveland was the only U.S. president to serve two nonconsecutive terms, making him both our 22nd and 24th presidents.

Although he won three consecutive popular votes for president, 1884, 1888 and 1892, he lost the 1888 election when Benjamin Harrison won the electoral college vote.

Three months into his second term in office, Cleveland noticed he had a sore spot on the roof of his mouth. It was on the upper left side - his favorite side for tucking in a pinch of tobacco between his cheek and gum, a habit that meant the White House always kept a spittoon near the president. Cleveland also was an avid cigar smoker who inhaled the vapors deeply, and as photos from the time show, he held his cigars on the left side of his mouth.

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