Editing Grover Cleveland (section)

===Early career and the Civil War===
Cleveland worked for the Rogers firm for three years before leaving in 1862 to start his own practice.<ref>Graff, 14–15</ref> In January 1863, he was appointed assistant [[district attorney]] of [[Erie County, New York]].<ref>Graff, 15; Nevins, 46</ref> With the [[American Civil War]] raging, Congress passed the [[Conscription Act of 1863]], requiring able-bodied men to serve in the army if called upon, or else to hire a substitute.<ref name="graff14" /> Cleveland chose the latter course, paying $150, {{Inflation|US|150|1863|fmt=eq}}, to George Benninsky, a thirty-two-year-old [[Polish people|Polish]] immigrant, to serve in his place.<ref>Graff, 14; Nevins, 51–52</ref> Benninsky survived the war.<ref name="graff14" />

As a lawyer, Cleveland became known for his single-minded concentration and dedication to hard work.<ref name="nevins52">Nevins, 52–53</ref> In 1866, he successfully defended some participants in the [[Fenian raids#Canada West|Fenian raid]], working on a ''[[pro bono]]'' basis (free of charge).<ref>Nevins, 54</ref> In 1868, Cleveland attracted professional attention for his winning defense of a [[libel]] suit against the editor of Buffalo's ''Commercial Advertiser''.<ref>Nevins, 54–55</ref> During this time, Cleveland assumed a lifestyle of simplicity, taking residence in a plain [[boarding house]]. He devoted his growing income to the support of his mother and younger sisters.<ref>Nevins, 55–56</ref> While his personal quarters were austere, Cleveland enjoyed an active social life and "the easy-going sociability of hotel-lobbies and [[Western saloon|saloons]]".<ref>Nevins, 56</ref> He shunned the circles of higher society of Buffalo in which his uncle-in-law's family traveled.<ref>Tugwell, 26</ref>