John Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933)/biography

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. ( –  ), more commonly known as Calvin Coolidge, was the thirtieth  (1923–1929). He is often referred to as "Silent Cal". A lawyer from, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state. His actions during the of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight. Soon after, he was elected as the twenty-ninth in 1920 and succeeded to the Presidency upon the death of. Elected in his own right in 1924, he gained a reputation as a.

In many ways Coolidge's style of governance was a throwback to the passive presidency of the nineteenth century. He restored public confidence in the White House after the of his predecessor's administration, and left office with considerable popularity. As his biographer later put it, "he embodied the spirit and hopes of the, could interpret their longings and express their opinions. That he did represent the genius of the average is the most convincing proof of his strength".

Many later criticized Coolidge as part of a general criticism of. His reputation underwent a renaissance during the administration, but the ultimate assessment of his presidency is still divided between those who approve of his reduction of the size of government and those who believe the federal government should be more involved in regulating the economy.

Birth and family history
John Calvin Coolidge Jr. was born in, , , on , the only U.S. President to be born on. He was the elder of two children of John Calvin Sr. and Victoria Coolidge. The Coolidge family had deep roots in. His earliest American ancestor, John Coolidge, emigrated from, , around 1630 and settled in ,. Coolidge's great-great-grandfather, also named John Coolidge, was an American army officer in the, and was one of the first of the town of Plymouth Notch. Most of Coolidge's ancestors were farmers. The more well-known Coolidges, such as architect, and diplomat , were descended from other branches of the family that had stayed in Massachusetts. Coolidge's grandmother Sarah Almeda Brewer had two famous first cousins:, a United States , and , a women's suffragist.



Coolidge's grandfather, Calvin Coolidge, held some local government offices in Plymouth and was best remembered as a man with "a fondness for practical jokes". His grandmother, Sarah Brewer, was also of New England. It is through this ancestor that Coolidge claimed to be descended in part from. Coolidge's father was also a farmer, but spent some time as a schoolteacher and. His mother, Victoria Josephine Moor Coolidge, was the daughter of another Plymouth Notch farmer. Coolidge's mother was chronically ill, possibly suffering from, and died young in 1884, but Coolidge's father lived to see him become President.

Education
Coolidge attended in Vermont before entering  in nearby. He dropped John from his name upon graduating from college. At Amherst, Coolidge became a member of the Fraternity of and joined the College Republicans in 1892. While there, Coolidge met, who would become a life-long friend. Coolidge would later credit, a professor of philosophy and ethics, with having a significant influence on his education. He graduated  in 1895. At graduation, Coolidge was selected by his classmates to compose and read the Grove Oration, a humorous speech traditionally given during the graduation ceremony.

Western Massachusetts lawyer
After graduating from Amherst, at his father's urging, Coolidge moved to to take up the practice of law. Avoiding the costly alternative of attending a, Coolidge followed the more common practice at the time of apprenticing with a local firm, Hammond & Field. John C. Hammond and Henry P. Field, both Amherst graduates themselves, introduced Coolidge to the law practice in the county seat of. In 1897, Coolidge was admitted to the bar. With his savings and a small inheritance from his grandfather, Coolidge was able to open his own law office in Northampton in 1898, where he practiced transactional law, believing that he served his clients best by staying out of court. As his reputation as a hard-working and diligent attorney grew, local banks and other businesses began to retain his services.

Marriage and family
In 1905 Coolidge met and married, a local schoolteacher and fellow Vermonter. They were opposites in personality: she was talkative and fun-loving, while Coolidge was quiet and serious. Not long after their marriage, Coolidge handed her a bag with fifty-two pairs of socks in it, all of them full of holes. Grace's reply was "Did you marry me to darn your socks?" Without cracking a smile and with his usual seriousness, Calvin answered, "No, but I find it mighty handy." They had two sons;, born in 1906, and Calvin Jr., born in 1908. The marriage was, by most accounts, a happy one. As Coolidge wrote in his Autobiography, "We thought we were made for each other. For almost a quarter of a century she has borne with my infirmities, and I have rejoiced in her graces."

City offices
The was dominant in New England in Coolidge's time, and he followed Hammond's and Field's example by becoming active in local politics. Coolidge campaigned locally for Republican presidential candidate in 1896, and the next year he was selected to be a member of the Republican City Committee. In 1898, he won election to the of Northampton, placing second in a ward where the top three candidates were elected. The position offered no salary, but gave Coolidge experience in the political world. In 1899, he declined renomination, running instead for, a position elected by the City Council. He was elected for a one-year term in 1900, and reelected in 1901. This position gave Coolidge more experience as a lawyer, and paid a salary of $600. In 1902, the city council selected a Democrat for city solicitor, and Coolidge returned to an exclusively private practice. Soon thereafter, however, the for the county died, and Coolidge was chosen to replace him. The job paid well, but barred him from practicing law, so he only remained the clerk for one year. The next year, 1904, Coolidge met with his only defeat before the voters, losing an election to the Northampton. When told that some of his neighbors voted against him because he had no children in the schools he would govern, Coolidge replied "Might give me time!"

State legislator and mayor


In 1906 the local Republican committee nominated Coolidge for election to the state. He won a close victory over the incumbent, and reported to for the 1907 session of the. In his freshman term, Coolidge served on minor committees and, although he usually voted with the party, was known as a, voting in favor of such measures as and the. Throughout his time in Boston, Coolidge found himself allied primarily with the western faction of the state Republican Party, as against the -dominated eastern faction. In 1907, he was elected to a second term. In the 1908 session, Coolidge was more outspoken, but was still not one of the leaders in the legislature.

Instead of vying for another term in the state house, Coolidge returned home to his growing family and ran for of Northampton when the incumbent Democrat retired. He was well-liked in the town, and defeated his challenger by a vote of 1,597 to 1,409. During his first term (1910 to 1911), he increased teachers' salaries and retired some of the city's debt while still managing to effect a slight tax decrease. He was renominated in 1911, and defeated the same opponent by a slightly larger margin.



In 1911 the for the Hampshire County area retired and encouraged Coolidge to run for his seat for the 1912 session. He defeated his Democratic opponent by a large margin. At the start of that term, Coolidge was selected to be chairman of a committee to arbitrate the "" strike by the workers of the in. After two tense months, the company agreed to the workers' demands in a settlement the committee proposed. The other major issue for Republicans that year was the between the progressive wing, which favored, and the conservative wing, which favored. Although he favored some progressive measures, Coolidge refused to bolt the party. When the new declined to run a candidate in his state senate district, Coolidge won reelection against his Democratic opponent by an increased margin.

The 1913 session was less eventful, and Coolidge's time was mostly spent on the railroad committee, of which he was the chairman. Coolidge intended to retire after the 1913 session, as two terms were the norm, but when the, , considered running for Lieutenant Governor, Coolidge decided to run again for the Senate in the hopes of being elected as its presiding officer. Although Greenwood later decided to run for reelection to the Senate, he was defeated and Coolidge was elected, with Crane's help, as the President of a closely divided Senate. After his election in January 1914, Coolidge delivered a speech entitled Have Faith in Massachusetts, which was later republished as a book. His speech, later much-quoted, summarized Coolidge's philosophy of government.

Coolidge's speech was well-received and he attracted some admirers on its account. Towards the end of the term, many of them were proposing his name for nomination to lieutenant governor. After winning reelection to the Senate by an increased margin in the 1914 elections, Coolidge was reelected unanimously to be President of the Senate. As the 1915 session drew to a close, Coolidge's supporters, led by fellow Amherst alumnus, encouraged him once again to run for lieutenant governor. This time, he accepted their advice.

Lieutenant Governor
Coolidge entered the for lieutenant governor and was nominated to run alongside gubernatorial candidate. Coolidge was the leading vote-getter in the Republican primary, and the Republican ticket by adding a western presence to McCall's eastern base of support. McCall and Coolidge won the 1915 election, with Coolidge defeating his opponent by more than 50,000 votes.

Coolidge's duties as lieutenant governor were few; in Massachusetts, the lieutenant governor does not preside over the state Senate, although Coolidge did become an ex officio member of the governor's cabinet. As a full-time elected official, Coolidge no longer practiced law after 1916, though his family continued to live in Northampton. McCall and Coolidge were both reelected in 1916 and again in 1917 (both offices were one-year terms in those days). When McCall decided that he would not stand for a fourth term, Coolidge announced his own intention to run for governor.

1918 election
Coolidge was unopposed for the Republican nomination for of Massachusetts in 1918. He and his running mate,, a Boston lawyer and Speaker of the , ran on the previous administration's record: , a vague opposition to , support for women's suffrage, and support for American involvement in the. The issue of the war proved divisive, especially among - and s. Coolidge was elected by a margin of 16,773 votes over his opponent, Richard H. Long, in the smallest margin of victory of any of his state-wide campaigns.

Boston Police Strike
In 1919 in response to rumors that policemen of the planned to form a, Police Commissioner  issued a statement saying that such a move would not be countenanced. In August of that year, the issued a charter to the Boston Police Union. Curtis said the union's leaders were insubordinate and planned to relieve them of duty, but said that he would suspend the sentence if the union was dissolved by. The mayor of Boston,, convinced Curtis to delay his action for a few days, but Curtis ultimately suspended the union leaders after a brief delay, on. The following day about three-quarters of the policemen in Boston went on strike. Coolidge had observed the situation throughout the conflict, but had not yet intervened. That night and the next, there was sporadic violence and ing in the lawless city. Peters, concerned about s, had called up some units of the Massachusetts stationed in the Boston area and relieved Curtis of duty. Coolidge, furious that the mayor had called out state guard units, finally acted. He called up more units of the National Guard, restored Curtis to office, and took personal control of the police force. Curtis proclaimed that none of the strikers would be allowed back to their former jobs, and Coolidge issued calls for a new police force to be recruited.



That night Coolidge received a telegram from AFL leader. "Whatever disorder has occurred", Gompers wrote, "is due to Curtis's order in which the right of the policemen has been denied …" Coolidge publicly answered Gompers's telegram with the response that would launch him into the national consciousness (quoted, above left). Newspapers across the nation picked up on Coolidge's statement and he became the newest hero to defenders of American capitalism. In the midst of the, many Americans were terrified of the spread of revolution, like those that had taken place in , , and. While Coolidge had lost some friends among organized labor, conservatives across the nation had seen a rising star.

1919 election
Coolidge and Cox were renominated for their respective offices in 1919. By this time Coolidge's supporters (especially Stearns) had publicized his actions in the Police Strike around the state and the nation and some of Coolidge's speeches were reissued as a book. He was faced with the same opponent as in 1918, Richard Long, but this time Coolidge defeated him by 125,101 votes, more than ten times his margin of victory from a year earlier. His actions in the police strike, combined with the massive electoral victory, led to suggestions that Coolidge should run for President in 1920.

Legislation and vetoes as governor
By the time Coolidge was inaugurated on  the First World War had ended, and Coolidge pushed the legislature to give a $100 bonus to Massachusetts veterans. He also signed a bill reducing the work week for women and from fifty-four hours to forty-eight, saying "we must humanize the industry, or the system will break down." He signed into law a budget that kept the tax rates the same, while trimming four million dollars from expenditures, thus allowing the state to retire some of its debt.

Coolidge also wielded the pen as governor. His most publicized veto was of a bill that would have increased legislators' pay by 50%. In May 1920, he vetoed a bill that would have allowed the sale of beer or wine of, in contravention of the. Although Coolidge himself was opposed to Prohibition, he felt constrained to veto the bill. "Opinions and instructions do not outmatch the Constitution," he said in his veto message, "Against it, they are void."

1920 election
At the most of the delegates were selected by state party conventions, not primaries. As such, the field was divided among many local favorites. Coolidge was one such candidate, and while he placed as high as sixth in the voting, the powerful party bosses never considered him a serious candidate. After ten ballots, the delegates settled on Senator of  as their nominee for President. When the time came to select a Vice Presidential nominee, the party bosses had also made a decision on who they would nominate: Senator of. A delegate from, having read Have Faith in Massachusetts, proposed Coolidge for  instead. The suggestion caught on quickly, and Coolidge found himself unexpectedly nominated.



The Democrats nominated another Ohioan,, for President and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy , for Vice President. The question of the United States joining the was a major issue in the campaign, as was the unfinished legacy of. Harding ran a "front-porch" campaign from his home in, but Coolidge took to the campaign trail in the , , and New England. On, Harding and Coolidge were victorious in a landslide, winning every state outside the South. They also won in, the first time a Republican ticket had won a Southern state since.

"Silent Cal"
The Vice Presidency did not carry many official duties, but Coolidge was invited by President Harding to attend cabinet meetings, making him the first Vice President to do so. He gave speeches around the country, but none were especially noteworthy.

As Vice President, Coolidge and his vivacious wife were invited to quite a few parties, where the legend of "Silent Cal" was born. It was from this time most of the jokes and anecdotes at his expense originate. Although Coolidge was known to be a skilled and effective public speaker, in private he was a man of few words and was therefore commonly referred to as "Silent Cal." A possibly apocryphal story has it that, seated next to him at a dinner, said to him, "Mr. Coolidge, I've made a bet against a fellow who said it was impossible to get more than two words out of you." His famous reply: "You lose." It was also Parker who, upon learning that Coolidge had died, reportedly remarked, "How can they tell?" Coolidge often seemed uncomfortable among fashionable Washington society; when asked why he continued to attend so many of their dinner parties, he replied "Got to eat somewhere."

As President, Coolidge's reputation as a quiet man continued. "The words of a President have an enormous weight," he would later write, "and ought not to be used indiscriminately." Coolidge was aware of his stiff reputation; indeed, he cultivated it. "I think the American people want a solemn ass as a President," he once told, "and I think I will go along with them."

Succession to the Presidency
On, President Harding died while on a speaking tour in. Vice President Coolidge was in Vermont at the time, visiting at the (still without electricity or telephone) when he got word of Harding's death. Coolidge dressed, said a prayer, and came downstairs to greet the reporters who had assembled. His father, a, administered the in the family's parlor by the light of a kerosene lamp at 2:47 a.m. on , ; Coolidge was re-sworn by Justice A. A. Hoehling of the  upon his return to Washington.

Finishing Harding's term


The nation did not know what to make of its new President; Coolidge had not stood out in the Harding administration and many had expected him to be replaced on the ballot in 1924. He chose, a Congressman and experienced federal politician, as his secretary (a position equivalent to the modern ). Although many of Harding's cabinet appointees were scandal-tarred, Coolidge announced that he would not demand any of their resignations, believing that since the people had elected Harding, he should carry on Harding's presidency, at least until the next election.

He addressed Congress when it reconvened on, giving a speech that echoed many of Harding's themes, including  and the need for the government to arbitrate the coal strikes then ongoing in. The was proclaimed just one month into Coolidge's term, and was generally well received in the country. In May 1924, the World War I veterans' was passed over his veto. Coolidge signed the later that year, though he appended a  expressing his unhappiness with the bill's specific exclusion of  immigrants. Just before the Republican Convention began, Coolidge signed into law the, which decreased personal rates while increasing the , and creating a  to reinforce the transfer tax system.

1924 election


The was held from  to   in ; President Coolidge was nominated on the first ballot. The convention nominated of  for Vice President on the second ballot, but he declined via telegram. Former Brigadier General, who would win the in 1925, was nominated on the third ballot; he accepted.

The Democrats held their a month later in. The convention soon deadlocked, and after 103 ballots, the delegates finally agreed on a compromise candidate,. was nominated for Vice President. The Democrats' hopes were buoyed when, a Republican Senator from , split from the party to form a new. Many believed that the split in the Republican party, like the one in 1912, would allow a Democrat to win the Presidency.

Shortly after the conventions Coolidge experienced a personal tragedy. Coolidge's younger son, Calvin, Jr., developed a blister from playing tennis on the courts. The blister became, and Calvin, Jr. died. After that Coolidge became even more withdrawn. He later said that "when he died, the power and glory of the Presidency went with him." In spite of his sadness, Coolidge ran his conventional campaign; he never maligned his opponents (or even mentioned them by name) and delivered speeches on his theory of government, including several that were broadcast over radio. It was easily the most subdued campaign since 1896, partly because the President was grieving for his son, but partly because Coolidge's style was naturally non-confrontational. The other candidates campaigned in a more modern fashion, but despite the split in the Republican party, the results were very similar to those of 1920. Coolidge and Dawes won every state outside the South except for Wisconsin, La Follette's home state. Coolidge had a popular vote majority of 2.5 million over his opponents' combined total.

Domestic policy


During Coolidge's presidency the United States experienced the period of rapid economic growth known as the "." His economic policy has often been misquoted as "generally speaking, the business of the American people is business" (full quotation below, at left). Although some commentators have criticized Coolidge as a doctrinaire ideologue, historian  offers some context based on Coolidge's sense of : "As Governor of Massachusetts, Coolidge supported wages and hours legislation, opposed, imposed economic controls during , favored safety measures in factories, and even worker representation on corporate boards. Did he support these measures while president? No, because in the 1920s, such matters were considered the responsibilities of state and local governments." Coolidge's taxation policy, and that of his Secretary of the Treasury,, was that taxes should be lower and that fewer people should have to pay them. The Congress concurred, and the tax burden on Americans was reduced in Coolidge's term. In addition to these tax cuts, Coolidge proposed reductions in federal expenditures and retiring some of the. To that end, Coolidge declined to sign some of the spending that Congress approved. He vetoed the proposed of 1926, designed to allow the federal government to purchase agricultural surpluses and sell them abroad at lowered prices. Coolidge declared that agriculture must stand "on an independent business basis," and said that "government control cannot be divorced from political control." He favored 's proposal to modernize agriculture to create profits, instead of manipulating prices. When Congress re-passed the McNary-Haughen bill in 1927, Coolidge vetoed it again. "Farmers never have made much money," said Coolidge, the Vermont farmer's son, "I do not believe we can do much about it."

Coolidge has often been criticized for his actions during the, the worst natural disaster to hit the Gulf Coast until in 2005. Although he did eventually name Secretary Hoover to a commission in charge of flood relief, Coolidge's lack of interest in federal flood control has been much maligned. Coolidge did not believe that personally visiting the region after the floods would accomplish anything, but would be seen only as political grandstanding, and he did not want to incur the federal spending that flood control would require. Congress wanted a bill that would place the federal government completely in charge of flood mitigation; Coolidge wanted the property owners to bear much of the costs. When Congress passed a compromise measure in 1928, Coolidge declined to take credit for it and signed the bill in private on.

Foreign policy
While he was not an isolationist, Coolidge was reluctant to enter foreign alliances. Coolidge saw the landslide Republican victory of 1920 as a rejection of the idea that the United States should join the. While not completely opposed to the idea, Coolidge believed the League, as then constituted, did not serve American interests, and he did not advocate membership in it. He spoke in favor of the United States joining the, provided that the nation would not be bound by advisory decisions. The Senate eventually approved joining the Court (with s) in 1926. The League of Nations accepted the reservations, but suggested some modifications of their own. The Senate failed to act; the United States never joined the World Court.

Coolidge's best-known initiative was the of 1928, named for Coolidge's Secretary of State,, and French foreign minister. The treaty, ratified in 1929, committed signatories including the U.S., the, , , , and to "renounce war, as an instrument of national policy in their relations with one another." The treaty did not actually achieve its result — the outlawry of war — but did provide the founding principle for international law after.

Coolidge continued the previous administration's policy not to recognise the. He also continued the United States' support for the elected government of against the  there, lifting the arms embargo on that country. He sent his close friend to Mexico as the. Coolidge represented the U.S. at the Pan American Conference in, , making him the only sitting U.S. President to visit the country. The United States' occupation of and  continued under his administration, but Coolidge withdrew American troops from the  in 1924.

1928 Election
Coolidge did not seek renomination; he announced his decision to reporters, in writing, with typical terseness: "I do not choose to run for President in 1928." After allowing them to take that in, Coolidge elaborated. "If I take another term, I will be in the White House till 1933 … Ten years in Washington is longer than any other man has had it—too long!" In his memoirs, Coolidge explained his decision not to run: "The Presidential office takes a heavy toll of those who occupy it and those who are dear to them. While we should not refuse to spend and be spent in the service of our country, it is hazardous to attempt what we feel is beyond our strength to accomplish." After leaving office, he and Grace returned to Northampton, where he wrote his memoirs. The Republicans retained the White House in 1928 in the person of Coolidge's,.

Coolidge had been lukewarm on the choice of Hoover as his successor; on one occasion he remarked that "for six years that man has given me unsolicited advice&mdash;all of it bad." Even so, Coolidge had no desire to split the party by publicly opposing the popular Commerce Secretary's nomination. The delegates did consider nominating Vice President Charles Dawes to be Hoover's running mate, but the convention selected Senator instead.

Radio and film
Despite his reputation as a quiet and even reclusive politician, Coolidge made use of the new medium of radio and made radio history several times while President. He made himself available to reporters, giving 529 press conferences, meeting with reporters more regularly than any President before or since. His was the first presidential inauguration broadcast on radio. On, Coolidge was the first President whose address to Congress was broadcast on radio. On, he became the first President of the United States to deliver a political speech on radio. On, Coolidge was filmed on the White House lawn by  in DeForest's   process, becoming the first President to appear in a sound film. The title of the DeForest film was President Coolidge, Taken on the White House Lawn.

Coolidge was the only president to have his face on a coin during his lifetime, the sesquicentennial of 1926.

Major presidential acts

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Supreme Court appointment
Coolidge appointed one Justice to the, in 1925. Stone was Coolidge's fellow Amherst alumnus and was serving as dean of when Coolidge appointed him to be Attorney General in 1924. He appointed Stone to the Supreme Court in 1925, and the Senate approved the nomination. Stone was later appointed Chief Justice by President.

Retirement and death
After the presidency, Coolidge served as chairman of the non-partisan Railroad Commission, as honorary president of the Foundation of the Blind, as a director of, as president of the , and as a trustee of Amherst College. Coolidge received an honorary from  in.

Coolidge published his in 1929 and wrote a syndicated newspaper column, "Calvin Coolidge Says," from 1930–1931. Faced with looming defeat in 1932, some Republicans spoke of rejecting Herbert Hoover as their party's nominee, and instead drafting Coolidge to run, but the former President made it clear that he was not interested in running again, and that he would publicly repudiate any effort to draft him, should it come about. Hoover was renominated, and Coolidge made several radio addresses in support of him.

He died suddenly of a at his home in Northampton, "The Beeches," at 12:45 p.m.,. Shortly before his death, Coolidge confided to an old friend: "I feel I am no longer fit in these times."

Coolidge is buried beneath a simple headstone in Notch Cemetery,, Vermont, where the family homestead is maintained as a museum. The State of Vermont dedicated a new visitors' center nearby to mark Coolidge's 100th birthday on. Calvin Coolidge's is memorialized in the Hall of Inscriptions at the  at Montpelier, Vermont.

Scholarly sources

 * Barry, John M., Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America (1997), ISBN 0684840022.
 * Brandes, Joseph, Herbert Hoover and Economic Diplomacy. (1962)
 * Ferrell, Robert H., The Presidency of Calvin Coolidge (1998), ISBN 0700608923.
 * Fuess, Claude M., Calvin Coolidge: The Man from Vermont (1940), ISBN 0837193206.
 * Greenberg, David, Calvin Coolidge, The American Presidents Series, (2006), ISBN 0805069577.
 * Hannaford, Peter, The Quotable Calvin Coolidge (2001), ISBN 1884592333.
 * McCoy, Donald, Calvin Coolidge: The Quiet President (1967), ISBN 0945707231.
 * Russell, Francis, A City in Terror: Calvin Coolidge and the 1919 Boston Police Strike (1975), ISBN 0807050334.
 * Silver, Thomas B., Coolidge and the Historians (1983), ISBN 0890890382.
 * , Coolidge: An American Enigma (1998), ISBN 0895264102.
 * , A Puritan in Babylon: The Story of Calvin Coolidge (1938),.
 * Wilson, Joan Hoff, Herbert Hoover, Forgotten Progressive (1975), ISBN 0316944165.

Other
An academic conference on Coolidge was held July 30–31, 1998, at the to mark the 75th anniversary of his lantern-light homestead inaugural.