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{{Infobox_President | name=John Calvin Coolidge Jr. | nationality=American | image=Calvin Coolidge photo portrait head and shoulders.jpg | order=30^th [[President of the United States]] | term_start=[[August 2]] [[1923]] | term_end=[[March 4]] [[1929]]<!--Source for correct date is Sobel; see Talk --> | vicepresident=''None'' (1923–1925)<br />[[Charles G. Dawes]], (1925–1929) | predecessor=[[Warren G. Harding]] | successor=[[Herbert Hoover]] | order2=29^th [[Vice President of the United States]] | term_start2=[[March 4]] [[1921]] | term_end2=[[August 2]] [[1923]] | president2=[[Warren G. Harding]] | predecessor2=[[Thomas R. Marshall]] | successor2=[[Charles G. Dawes]] | order3=48^th | office3= Governor of Massachusetts | term_start3=[[January 2]] [[1919]] | term_end3=[[January 6]] [[1921]] | lieutenant3=[[Channing H. Cox]] | predecessor3=[[Samuel W. McCall]] | successor3=[[Channing H. Cox]] |office4= 53^rd [[Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts]] |term_start4= [[January 6]] [[1916]] |term_end4= [[January 2]] [[1919]] |governor4= [[Samuel W. McCall]] |predecessor4= [[Grafton D. Cushing]] |successor4= [[Channing H. Cox]] | birth_date={{birth date|1872|7|4|mf=y}} | birth_place=[[Plymouth, Vermont|Plymouth]], [[Vermont]] | death_date={{death date and age|1933|1|5|1872|7|4}} | death_place=[[Northampton, Massachusetts|Northampton]], [[Massachusetts]] | religion=[[Congregational church|Congregationalist]] | alma_mater=[[Amherst College]] | spouse=[[Grace Coolidge|Grace Goodhue Coolidge]] | party=[[United States Republican Party|Republican]] | signature=Calvin Coolidge Signature.jpg |}} '''John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.''' ([[July 4]] [[1872]] &ndash; [[January 5]] [[1933]]), more commonly known as '''Calvin Coolidge''', was the thirtieth [[President of the United States]] (1923–1929). A [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] lawyer from [[Vermont]], Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of [[Massachusetts]] state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state. His actions during the [[Boston Police Strike]] of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight. Soon after, he was elected as the twenty-ninth [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] in 1920 and succeeded to the Presidency upon the death of [[Warren G. Harding]]. Elected in his own right in 1924, he gained a reputation as a [[fiscal conservative|small-government conservative]]. In many ways Coolidge's style of governance was a throwback to the passive presidency of the nineteenth century.<ref>Sobel, 14</ref> He restored public confidence in the White House after the [[Warren G. Harding#Administrative Scandals|scandals]] of his predecessor's administration, and left office with considerable popularity.<ref>McCoy, 420–421; Greenberg, 49–53</ref> As his biographer later put it, "he embodied the spirit and hopes of the [[middle class]], 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."<ref>Fuess, 500</ref> Many later criticized Coolidge as part of a general criticism of [[laissez-faire|laissez-faire government]].<ref>McCoy, 418; Greenberg, 146–150; Ferrell, 66–72</ref> His reputation underwent a renaissance during the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] administration,<ref>Sobel, 12–13; Greenberg, 2–3</ref> 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.<ref>Greenberg, 1–7</ref> ==Family and early life== ===Birth and family history=== John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was born in [[Plymouth, Vermont|Plymouth]], [[Windsor County, Vermont|Windsor County]], [[Vermont]], on [[July 4]] [[1872]], the only U.S. President to be born on [[Independence Day (United States)|the fourth of July]]. He was the elder of two children of John Calvin Sr. and Victoria Coolidge. The Coolidge family had deep roots in [[New England]]. His earliest American ancestor, John Coolidge, emigrated from [[Cambridge]], [[England]], around 1630 and settled in [[Watertown, Massachusetts|Watertown]], [[Massachusetts]].<ref name=fuess12>Fuess, 12</ref> Coolidge's great-great-grandfather, also named John Coolidge, was an American army officer in the [[American Revolution]], and was one of the first [[Board of Selectmen|selectmen]] of the town of Plymouth Notch.<ref>Fuess, 7</ref> Most of Coolidge's ancestors were farmers. The more well-known Coolidges, such as architect [[Charles Allerton Coolidge]], and diplomat [[Archibald Cary Coolidge]], were descended from other branches of the family that had stayed in Massachusetts.<ref name=fuess12/> Coolidge's grandmother Sarah Almeda Brewer had two famous first cousins: [[Arthur Brown (Utah)|Arthur Brown]], a United States [[United States Senate|Senator]], and [[Olympia Brown]], a women's suffragist. [[Image:CoolidgeAmherst.png|right|200px|thumb|Coolidge as an Amherst undergraduate]] 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".<ref>Fuess, 14</ref> His grandmother, Sarah Brewer, was also of New England. It is through this ancestor that Coolidge claimed to be descended in part from [[American Indians]].<ref name=mccoy5>McCoy, 5</ref> Coolidge's father was also a farmer, but spent some time as a schoolteacher and [[justice of the peace]].<ref>Fuess, 16</ref> His mother, Victoria Josephine Moor Coolidge, was the daughter of another Plymouth Notch farmer.<ref>Fuess, 17</ref> Coolidge's mother was chronically ill, possibly suffering from [[tuberculosis]], and died young in 1884, but Coolidge's father lived to see him become President.<ref>McCoy, 5; White, 11</ref> ===Education=== <!---Black River Academy is a registered historic place. Should have an article eventually---> Coolidge graduated from [[Black River Academy]], Vermont, but failed his initial entrance exam to [[Amherst College]].<ref>[http://www.vhscommunityhistory.org/pages/projects/blackriver/blackriver03.html Vermont Historical Society biography of Calvin Coolidge] accessed [[December 6]] [[2007]]</ref> He spent one term at [[St. Johnsbury Academy]], Vermont before entering Amherst.<ref>[http://www.amherst.edu/about_amh/alums.html Accomplished alumni.] Amherst College, where he was a member of the Fraternity of [[Phi Gamma Delta]]. Retrieved on [[2007-05-18]]</ref> He dropped ''John'' from his name upon graduating from college. At Amherst, Coolidge became a member of the Fraternity of [[Phi Gamma Delta]] and joined the College Republicans in 1892.<ref>White, 35</ref> While there, Coolidge met [[Dwight Morrow]], who would become a life-long friend.<ref>Sobel, 36</ref> Coolidge would later credit [[Charles E. Garman]], a professor of philosophy and ethics, with having a significant influence on his education.<ref>''Autobiography,'' 63–70</ref> He graduated ''[[cum laude]]'' in 1895.<ref name=sobel41>Sobel, 41</ref> At graduation, Coolidge was selected by his classmates to compose and read the Grove Oration, a humorous speech traditionally given during the graduation ceremony.<ref name=sobel41/> ==Early career and marriage== ===Western Massachusetts lawyer=== After graduating from Amherst, at his father's urging, Coolidge moved to [[Northampton, Massachusetts]] to take up the practice of law. Avoiding the costly alternative of attending a [[law school]], 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 [[Hampshire County, Massachusetts|Hampshire County]]. 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.<ref>Fuess, 74–81; McCoy 22–26</ref> ===Marriage and family=== In 1905 Coolidge met and married [[Grace Coolidge|Grace Anna Goodhue]], a local schoolteacher and fellow Vermonter. They were opposites in personality: she was talkative and fun-loving, while Coolidge was quiet and serious.<ref>Greenberg, 58–59</ref> 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."<ref>Telleen, Maurice. [http://web.archive.org/web/20060518031030/http://www.drafthorsejournal.com/daysbeforeyesterday/autumn01/75yearsago/75yearsago.htm The Days Before Yesterday: 75 years ago.] ''The Draft Horse Journal'', Autumn, 2001. Retrieved from Internet Archive on [[2007-05-18]].</ref> They had two sons; [[John Coolidge]], born in 1906, and Calvin Jr., born in 1908.<ref>White, 65–66</ref> The marriage was, by most accounts, a happy one.<ref>Fuess, 89–92; Sobel, 57–58. Some biographers disagree with this rosy portrait, see Ferrell, 21–23</ref> 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."<ref>''Autobiography'', 93</ref> ==Local political office== ===City offices=== The [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] was dominant in New England in Coolidge's time, and he followed Hammond's and Field's example by becoming active in local politics.<ref>Sobel, 49–51</ref> Coolidge campaigned locally for Republican presidential candidate [[William McKinley]] in 1896, and the next year he was selected to be a member of the Republican City Committee.<ref name=sobel51>Sobel, 51</ref> In 1898, he won election to the [[City Council]] of Northampton, placing second in a ward where the top three candidates were elected.<ref name=sobel51/> The position offered no salary, but gave Coolidge experience in the political world.<ref>Fuess, 83</ref> In 1899, he declined renomination, running instead for [[Solicitor#United States|City Solicitor]], a position elected by the City Council. He was elected for a one-year term in 1900, and reelected in 1901.<ref name=fuess84>Fuess, 84–85</ref> This position gave Coolidge more experience as a lawyer, and paid a salary of $600.<ref name=fuess84/> In 1902, the city council selected a Democrat for city solicitor, and Coolidge returned to an exclusively private practice.<ref name=mccoy29>McCoy, 29</ref> Soon thereafter, however, the [[Court clerk|clerk of courts]] for the county died, and Coolidge was chosen to replace him. The position paid well, but barred him from practicing law, so he only remained at the job for one year.<ref name=mccoy29/> The next year, 1904, Coolidge met with his only defeat before the voters, losing an election to the Northampton [[Board of Education|school board]]. 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!"<ref name=mccoy29/> ===State legislator and mayor=== [[Image:CoolidgeLtGov.png|right|thumb|Calvin and Grace Coolidge, about 1918.]] In 1906 the local Republican committee nominated Coolidge for election to the state [[Massachusetts House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]. He won a close victory over the incumbent [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], and reported to [[Boston]] for the 1907 session of the [[Massachusetts General Court]].<ref>Sobel, 61</ref> In his freshman term, Coolidge served on minor committees and, although he usually voted with the party, was known as a [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|Progressive Republican]], voting in favor of such measures as [[women's suffrage]] and the [[Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|direct election of Senators]].<ref>Sobel, 62; Fuess, 99</ref> Throughout his time in Boston, Coolidge found himself allied primarily with the western [[Winthrop Murray Crane]] faction of the state Republican Party, as against the [[Henry Cabot Lodge]]-dominated eastern faction.<ref>Sobel, 63–66</ref> 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.<ref>Sobel, 68–69</ref> Instead of vying for another term in the state house, Coolidge returned home to his growing family and ran for [[mayor]] 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.<ref>Sobel, 72</ref> 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.<ref>Fuess, 106–107; Sobel, 74</ref> He was renominated in 1911, and defeated the same opponent by a slightly larger margin.<ref>Fuess, 108</ref> [[Image:John Calvin Coolidge, Bain bw photo portrait.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Calvin Coolidge as a young legislator]] In 1911 the [[Massachusetts Senate|State Senator]] 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.<ref>Sobel, 76</ref> At the start of that term, Coolidge was selected to be chairman of a committee to arbitrate the "[[Bread and Roses]]" strike by the workers of the [[American Woolen Company]] in [[Lawrence, Massachusetts]].<ref>''See also the main article, [[Lawrence textile strike]], for a full description.''</ref> After two tense months, the company agreed to the workers' demands in a settlement the committee proposed.<ref>Fuess, 110–111; McCoy, 45–46</ref> The other major issue for Republicans that year was the [[United States presidential election, 1912|party split]] between the progressive wing, which favored [[Theodore Roosevelt]], and the conservative wing, which favored [[William Howard Taft]]. Although he favored some progressive measures, Coolidge refused to bolt the party.<ref name=progressive>Sobel, 79–80; Fuess, 111</ref> When the new [[Progressive Party (United States, 1912)|Progressive Party]] declined to run a candidate in his state senate district, Coolidge won reelection against his Democratic opponent by an increased margin.<ref name=progressive/> The 1913 session was less eventful, and Coolidge's time was mostly spent on the railroad committee, of which he was the chairman.<ref>Fuess, 111–113</ref> Coolidge intended to retire after the 1913 session, as two terms were the norm, but when the [[President of the Massachusetts Senate|President of the State Senate]], [[Levi H. Greenwood]], considered running for Lieutenant Governor, Coolidge decided to run again for the Senate in the hopes of being elected as its presiding officer.<ref>Fuess, 114–115</ref> 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.<ref>Sobel, 80–82</ref> After his election in January 1914, Coolidge delivered a speech entitled ''Have Faith in Massachusetts'', which was later republished as a book.<ref name=havefaith>Have Faith in Massachusetts: A Collection of Speeches And Messages by Calvin Coolidge, 1919, ISBN 1417926082.</ref> His speech, later much-quoted, summarized Coolidge's philosophy of government. {| class="toccolours" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5" | style="text-align: left;" |"Do the day's work. If it be to protect the rights of the weak, whoever objects, do it. If it is to help a powerful corporation, do that. Expect to be called a stand-patter, but do not be a stand-patter. Expect to be called a [[demagogue]], but do not be a demagogue. Do not hesitate to be called as revolutionary as science. Do not hesitate to be as reactionary as the multiplication table. Do not expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. Do not hurry to legislate. Give administration a chance to catch up with legislation." |- | style="text-align: left;" | '''''Have Faith in Massachusetts''' as delivered by Calvin Coolidge to the Massachusetts State Senate, 1914.''<ref>''Have Faith in Massachusetts,'' 7–8</ref> |} Coolidge's speech was well-received and he attracted some admirers on its account.<ref>Sobel, 90–92</ref> 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.<ref>Sobel, 90; Fuess, 124</ref> As the 1915 session drew to a close, Coolidge's supporters, led by fellow Amherst alumnus [[Frank Stearns]], encouraged him once again to run for lieutenant governor. This time, he accepted their advice.<ref>Sobel, 92–98; Fuess, 133–136</ref> ===Lieutenant Governor=== Coolidge entered the [[primary election]] for lieutenant governor and was nominated to run alongside gubernatorial candidate [[Samuel W. McCall]]. Coolidge was the leading vote-getter in the Republican primary, and [[ticket balance|balanced]] the Republican ticket by adding a western presence to McCall's eastern base of support.<ref>Fuess, 139–142</ref> McCall and Coolidge won the 1915 election, with Coolidge defeating his opponent by more than 50,000 votes.<ref>Fuess, 145</ref> 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.<ref>Fuess, 150; Sobel, 104</ref> As a full-time elected official, Coolidge no longer practiced law after 1916, though his family continued to live in Northampton.<ref>Fuess, 151–152</ref> 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.<ref>Sobel, 107–110</ref> ==Governor of Massachusetts== ===1918 election=== Coolidge was unopposed for the Republican nomination for [[List of Governors of Massachusetts|Governor]] of Massachusetts in 1918. He and his running mate, [[Channing Cox]], a Boston lawyer and Speaker of the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]], ran on the previous administration's record: [[fiscal conservatism]], a vague opposition to [[Prohibition]], support for women's suffrage, and support for American involvement in the [[First World War]].<ref>Sobel, 111; McCall, 75–76</ref> The issue of the war proved divisive, especially among [[Irish American|Irish]]- and [[German-American]]s.<ref>Sobel, 112</ref> 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.<ref>Sobel, 115; McCall, 76</ref> ===Boston Police Strike=== {{main|Boston Police Strike}} In 1919 in response to rumors that policemen of the [[Boston Police Department]] planned to form a [[trade union]], Police Commissioner [[Edwin U. Curtis]] issued a statement saying that such a move would not be countenanced. In August of that year, the [[American Federation of Labor]] issued a charter to the Boston Police Union.<ref>Russell, 77–79; Sobel, 129</ref> 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 [[September 4]].<ref>Russell, 86–87</ref> The mayor of Boston, [[Andrew James Peters|Andrew Peters]], convinced Curtis to delay his action for a few days, but Curtis ultimately suspended the union leaders after a brief delay, on [[September 8]].<ref>Russell, 111–113; Sobel, 133–136</ref> {| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5" | style="text-align: left;" |"Your assertion that the Commissioner was wrong cannot justify the wrong of leaving the city unguarded. That furnished the opportunity; the criminal element furnished the action. '''There is no right to strike against the public safety by anyone, anywhere, any time.''' &nbsp;... I am equally determined to defend the sovereignty of Massachusetts and to maintain the authority and jurisdiction over her public officers where it has been placed by the Constitution and laws of her people." |- | style="text-align: left;" | '''''Telegram from Governor Calvin Coolidge to Samuel Gompers''' [[September 15]] [[1919]].''<ref>Fuess, 226</ref> |} The following day about three-quarters of the policemen in Boston went on strike.<ref>The exact total was 1,117 out of 1,544. Russell, 113</ref> Coolidge had observed the situation throughout the conflict, but had not yet intervened. That night and the next, there was sporadic violence and [[riot]]ing in the lawless city.<ref>Russell, 131–170</ref> Peters, concerned about [[sympathy strike]]s, had called up some units of the [[Massachusetts National Guard|Massachusetts]] [[United States National Guard|National Guard]] stationed in the Boston area and relieved Curtis of duty.<ref>Russell, 120</ref> Coolidge, furious that the mayor had called out ''state'' guard units, finally acted.<ref>Sobel, 141</ref> He called up more units of the National Guard, restored Curtis to office, and took personal control of the police force.<ref>Sobel, 142</ref> 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.<ref>Russell, 182–183</ref> [[Image:Gompers-Samuel-LOC.jpg|thumb|right|125px|Samuel Gompers.]] That night Coolidge received a telegram from AFL leader [[Samuel Gompers]]. "Whatever disorder has occurred", Gompers wrote, "is due to Curtis's order in which the right of the policemen has been denied …"<ref name=sobel143>Sobel, 143</ref> Coolidge publicly answered Gompers's telegram with the response that would launch him into the national consciousness (quoted, above left).<ref name=sobel143/> 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 [[First Red Scare]], many Americans were terrified of the spread of [[communist]] revolution, like those that had taken place in [[Russian Revolution of 1917|Russia]], [[Hungarian Soviet Republic|Hungary]], and [[German Revolution|Germany]]. 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.<ref name=havefaith/> He was faced with the same opponent as in 1918, Richard Long, but this time Coolidge defeated him by 125,101 votes, many times more than his margin of victory from a year earlier.<ref>The tally was Coolidge 317,774, Long 192,673. Fuess, 238.</ref> His actions in the police strike, combined with the massive electoral victory, led to suggestions that Coolidge should run for President in 1920.<ref>Fuess, 239–243; McCoy, 102–113</ref> ===Legislation and vetoes as governor=== By the time Coolidge was inaugurated on [[January 1]] [[1919]] 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 [[child labor|children]] from fifty-four hours to forty-eight, saying "we must humanize the industry, or the system will break down."<ref>Sobel, 117; Fuess, 195</ref> 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.<ref>Fuess, 186</ref> Coolidge also wielded the [[veto]] pen as governor. His most publicized veto was of a bill that would have increased legislators' pay by 50%.<ref>Fuess, 187; McCall, 81</ref> In May 1920, he vetoed a bill that would have allowed the sale of beer or wine of [[Near beer#Small beer|2.75% alcohol or less]], in contravention of the [[Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Eighteenth Amendment]]. 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."<ref>Fuess, 187–188</ref> ==Vice Presidency== ===1920 election=== {{main|United States presidential election, 1920}} At the [[1920 Republican National Convention|1920 Republican Convention]] most of the delegates were selected by state party conventions, not primaries. As such, the field was divided among many local favorites.<ref>Sobel, 152–153</ref> 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 [[Warren G. Harding]] of [[Ohio]] as their nominee for President.<ref>Fuess, 259–260</ref> When the time came to select a Vice Presidential nominee, the party bosses had also made a decision on who they would nominate: Senator [[Irvine Lenroot]] of [[Wisconsin]].<ref name=fuess261>Fuess, 261</ref> A delegate from [[Oregon]], [[Wallace McCamant]], having read ''Have Faith in Massachusetts'', proposed Coolidge for [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] instead.<ref name=fuess261/> The suggestion caught on quickly, and Coolidge found himself unexpectedly nominated.<ref>Fuess, 262–264</ref> [[Image:HardingCoolidge.jpg|left|thumb|250px|President Harding and Vice President Coolidge and their wives.]] The Democrats nominated another Ohioan, [[James M. Cox]], for President and the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], for Vice President. The question of the United States joining the [[League of Nations]] was a major issue in the campaign, as was the unfinished legacy of [[Progressivism]].<ref>Sobel, 204–212</ref> Harding ran a "front-porch" campaign from his home in [[Marion, Ohio]], but Coolidge took to the campaign trail in the [[Upper South]], [[New York]], and New England.<ref>Sobel, 204–207</ref> On [[November 2]] [[1920]], Harding and Coolidge were victorious in a landslide, winning every state outside the South.<ref name=1920election>{{National Archives EV source| year=1920| as of=[[January 18]] [[2007]]}}; {{Leip PV source 2| year=1920| as of=[[January 18]] [[2007]]}}</ref> They also won in [[Tennessee]], the first time a Republican ticket had won a Southern state since [[Reconstruction]].<ref name=1920election/> ==="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.<ref>Sobel, 210–211</ref> He gave speeches around the country, but none were especially noteworthy.<ref>Sobel, 219; McCoy, 136</ref> As Vice President, Coolidge and his vivacious wife [[Grace Coolidge|Grace]] 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 [[Dorothy Parker]], 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."<ref>Hannaford, 169</ref> It was also Parker who, upon learning that Coolidge had died, reportedly remarked, "How can they tell?"<ref>Greenberg, 9</ref> 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."<ref>Sobel, 217</ref> 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."<ref>Sobel, 243</ref> 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 [[Ethel Barrymore]], "and I think I will go along with them."<ref>Greenberg, 60</ref> ==Presidency 1923–1929== [[Image:JCCoolidgeSr.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Coolidge's father, John Calvin Coolidge, Sr.]] ===Succession to the Presidency=== On [[August 2]] [[1923]], President Harding died while on a speaking tour in [[California]].<ref>''See the main article, [[Warren Harding#Death in office]] for a full description''</ref> Vice President Coolidge was visiting his [[Coolidge Homestead|family home]], which did not have electricity or a telephone, in Vermont when he received word by messenger of Harding's death.<ref name=fuess308>Fuess, 308–309</ref> Coolidge dressed, said a prayer, and came downstairs to greet the reporters who had assembled.<ref name=fuess308/> His father, a [[notary public]], administered the [[Oath of office#United States|oath of office]] in the family's parlor by the light of a kerosene lamp at 2:47 a.m. on [[August 3]], [[1923]]; Coolidge then went back to bed. Coolidge returned to Washington the next day, and was re-sworn by Justice A. A. Hoehling of the [[United States District Court for the District of Columbia|Supreme Court of the District of Columbia]], as there was some confusion over whether a state notary public had the authority to administer the presidential oath.<ref>Fuess, 310–315</ref> ===Finishing Harding's term=== [[Image:CalvinCoolidgeimmigration3.jpg|thumb|Coolidge signing the Immigration Act and some appropriation bills. General [[John J. Pershing]] looks on.]] 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.<ref>Sobel, 226–228; Fuess, 303–305; Ferrell, 43–51</ref> He chose [[C. Bascom Slemp]], a [[Virginia]] Congressman and experienced federal politician, as his secretary (a position equivalent to the modern [[White House Chief of Staff]]).<ref name=fuess320>Fuess, 320–322</ref> 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.<ref name=fuess320/> He addressed Congress when it reconvened on [[December 6]] [[1923]], giving a speech that echoed many of Harding's themes, including [[Immigration Act of 1924|immigration restriction]] and the need for the government to arbitrate the coal strikes then ongoing in [[Pennsylvania]].<ref>Fuess, 328–329; Sobel, 248–249</ref> The [[Washington Naval Treaty]] was proclaimed just one month into Coolidge's term, and was generally well received in the country.<ref name=fuess320/> In May 1924, the World War I veterans' [[Adjusted Service Certificate Law|Bonus Bill]] was passed over his veto.<ref>Fuess, 341</ref> Coolidge signed the [[Immigration Act of 1924|Immigration Act]] later that year, though he appended a [[signing statement]] expressing his unhappiness with the bill's specific exclusion of [[Japanese people|Japanese]] immigrants.<ref>Fuess, 342; Sobel, 269</ref> Just before the Republican Convention began, Coolidge signed into law the [[Revenue Act of 1924]], which decreased personal [[income tax]] rates while increasing the [[estate tax]], and creating a [[gift tax]] to reinforce the transfer tax system.<ref>Sobel, 278–279</ref> ===1924 election=== {{main|United States presidential election, 1924}} [[Image:ElectoralCollege1924-Large.png|thumb|400px|left|Electoral votes by state, 1924.]] The [[1924 Republican National Convention|Republican Convention]] was held from June 10&ndash;12, 1924 in [[Cleveland, Ohio]]; President Coolidge was nominated on the first ballot.<ref>Fuess, 345</ref> The convention nominated [[Frank Orren Lowden|Frank Lowden]] of [[Illinois]] for Vice President on the second ballot, but he declined via telegram.<ref name=fuess346>Fuess, 346</ref> Former Brigadier General [[Charles G. Dawes]], who would win the [[Nobel Peace Prize]] in 1925, was nominated on the third ballot; he accepted.<ref name=fuess346/> [[Image:JohnWDaviscropped.jpg|thumb|150px|right|John W. Davis]]The Democrats held their [[1924 Democratic National Convention|convention]] a month later in [[New York City]]. The convention soon deadlocked, and after 103 ballots, the delegates finally agreed on a compromise candidate, [[John W. Davis]]. [[Charles W. Bryan]] was nominated for Vice President. The Democrats' hopes were buoyed when [[Robert M. La Follette, Sr.]], a Republican Senator from [[Wisconsin]], split from the party to form a new [[Progressive Party (United States, 1924)|Progressive Party]]. Many believed that the split in the Republican party, like the one in 1912, would allow a Democrat to win the Presidency.<ref>Sobel, 300</ref> Shortly after the conventions Coolidge experienced a personal tragedy. Coolidge's younger son, Calvin, Jr., developed a blister from playing tennis on the [[White House]] courts. The blister became [[bacteremia|infected]], 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."<ref>''Autobiography'', 190</ref> 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.<ref>Sobel, 300–301</ref> 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.<ref>Sobel, 302–303</ref> 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.<ref>{{Leip PV source 2| year=1924| as of=[[January 21]], [[2007]]}}, {{National Archives EV source| year=1924| as of=[[January 21]], [[2007]]}}</ref> ===Domestic policy=== [[Image:Coolidge with press.jpg|right|thumb|Coolidge, reporters, and cameramen]] During Coolidge's presidency the United States experienced the period of rapid economic growth known as the "[[Roaring Twenties]]." 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 [[laissez-faire]] ideologue, historian [[Robert Sobel]] offers some context based on Coolidge's sense of [[federalism]]: "As Governor of Massachusetts, Coolidge supported wages and hours legislation, opposed [[child labor]], imposed economic controls during [[World War I]], 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."<ref>Sobel, Robert. [http://web.archive.org/web/20060308075125/http://www.jfklibrary.org/coolidge_sobel.html Coolidge and American Business.] [[John F. Kennedy Library and Museum]]. Retrieved from [[2006-03-08]] version in Internet Archive on [[2007-05-18]]. ''See also'' Greenberg, 47.</ref> {| class="toccolours" style="float: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 2em; font-size: 85%; background:#c6dbf7; color:black; width:30em; max-width: 40%;" cellspacing="5" | style="text-align: left;" |"It is probable that a press which maintains an intimate touch with the business currents of the nation is likely to be more reliable than it would be if it were a stranger to these influences. After all, '''the chief business of the American people is business'''. They are profoundly concerned with buying, selling, investing and prospering in the world." |- | style="text-align: left;" | '''''President Calvin Coolidge's address to the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Washington D.C.,''' [[January 25]] [[1925]].''<ref>Hannaford, 42</ref> |} [[Image:Coolidge-Dawes.jpg|thumb|right|Coolidge with his [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]], [[Charles G. Dawes]].]] Coolidge's taxation policy, and that of his Secretary of the Treasury, [[Andrew Mellon]], was that taxes should be lower and that fewer people should have to pay them.<ref name=sobel310>Sobel, 310–311; Greenberg, 127–129</ref> The Congress concurred, and the tax burden on Americans was reduced in Coolidge's term.<ref name=sobel310/> In addition to these tax cuts, Coolidge proposed reductions in federal expenditures and retiring some of the [[United States public debt|federal debt]].<ref>Sobel, 310–311; Fuess, 382–383</ref> To that end, Coolidge declined to sign some of the spending that Congress approved. He vetoed the proposed [[McNary-Haugen Farm Relief Bill]] 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."<ref>Fuess, 383–384</ref> He favored [[Herbert Hoover]]'s proposal to modernize agriculture to create profits, instead of manipulating prices. When Congress re-passed the McNary-Haugen bill in 1927, Coolidge vetoed it again.<ref>Fuess, 388; Ferrell, 93</ref> "Farmers never have made much money," said Coolidge, the Vermont farmer's son, "I do not believe we can do much about it."<ref>Ferrell, 86</ref> Coolidge has often been criticized for his actions during the [[Great Mississippi Flood of 1927]], the worst natural disaster to hit the Gulf Coast until [[Hurricane Katrina]] in 2005.<ref name=floods>Sobel, 315; Barry, 286–287; Greenberg, 132–135</ref> 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.<ref name=floods/> 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.<ref>McCoy, 330–331</ref> 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.<ref>Barry, 372–374</ref> When Congress passed a compromise measure in 1928, Coolidge declined to take credit for it and signed the bill in private on [[May 15]].<ref>Greenberg, 135</ref> ===Foreign policy=== [[Image:CoolidgeWHPortrait.gif|left|thumb|Coolidge's official [[White House]] portrait]]While he was not an isolationist, Coolidge was reluctant to enter foreign alliances.<ref>Sobel, 342</ref> Coolidge saw the landslide Republican victory of 1920 as a rejection of the [[Woodrow Wilson|Wilsonian]] idea that the United States should join the [[League of Nations]].<ref name=mccoy184>McCoy, 184–185</ref> 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.<ref name=mccoy184/> He spoke in favor of the United States joining the [[Permanent Court of International Justice]], provided that the nation would not be bound by advisory decisions.<ref>McCoy, 360</ref> The Senate eventually approved joining the Court (with [[reservation (law)|reservation]]s) in 1926.<ref>McCoy, 363</ref> The League of Nations accepted the reservations, but suggested some modifications of their own.<ref name=greenberg114>Greenberg, 114–116</ref> The Senate failed to act; the United States never joined the World Court.<ref name=greenberg114/> Coolidge's best-known initiative was the [[Kellogg-Briand Pact]] of 1928, named for Coolidge's Secretary of State, [[Frank B. Kellogg]], and French foreign minister [[Aristide Briand]]. The treaty, ratified in 1929, committed signatories including the U.S., the [[United Kingdom]], [[France]], [[Germany]], [[Italy]], and [[Japan]] to "renounce war, as an instrument of national policy in their relations with one another."<ref>Fuess, 421–423</ref> The treaty did not actually achieve its intended result — the outlawry of war — but did provide the founding principle for international law after [[World War II]].<ref>McCoy, 380–381; Greenberg, 123–124</ref> Coolidge continued the previous administration's policy not to recognize the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>McCoy, 181</ref> He also continued the United States' support for the elected government of [[Mexico]] against the [[Cristero War|rebels]] there, lifting the arms embargo on that country.<ref>McCoy, 178–179</ref> He sent his close friend [[Dwight Morrow]] to Mexico as the [[United States Ambassador to Mexico|American ambassador]].<ref>Sobel, 349</ref> Coolidge represented the U.S. at the Pan American Conference in [[Havana]], [[Cuba]], making him the only sitting U.S. President to visit the country. The United States' occupation of [[United States occupation of Nicaragua|Nicaragua]] and [[United States occupation of Haiti|Haiti]] continued under his administration, but Coolidge withdrew American troops from the [[History of the Dominican Republic#United States occupation|Dominican Republic]] in 1924.<ref>Fuess, 414–417; Ferrell, 122–123</ref> ===1928 Election=== {{main|United States presidential election, 1928}} [[Image:Coolidge after signing indian treaty.jpg|right|thumb|President Coolidge signed a bill granting [[Indian Citizenship Act of 1924|Native Americans]] full U.S. [[citizenship]]. Coolidge is shown above on [[October 22]], [[1924]] holding a ceremonial hat.]] 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."<ref>Sobel, 370</ref> After allowing them to take that in, Coolidge elaborated. "If I take another term, I will be in the White House till 1933&nbsp;… Ten years in Washington is longer than any other man has had it—too long!"<ref>White, 361</ref> 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."<ref>''Autobiography,'' 239</ref> 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 [[United States Secretary of Commerce|Secretary of Commerce]], [[Herbert Hoover]]. 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."<ref>Brandes, ___</ref> Even so, Coolidge had no desire to split the party by publicly opposing the popular Commerce Secretary's nomination.<ref>McCoy, 390–391; Wilson, 122–123</ref> The delegates did consider nominating Vice President Charles Dawes to be Hoover's running mate, but the convention selected Senator [[Charles Curtis]] instead.<ref>Wilson, 125–127</ref> ===Radio and film=== [[Image:Coolidge Stamp 1938.JPG|100px|right|thumb|A 1938 commemorative stamp]] 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.<ref>Greenberg, 7</ref> His [[inauguration]] was the first presidential inauguration broadcast on radio. On [[6 December]] [[1923]], Coolidge was the first President whose address to Congress was broadcast on radio.<ref>Sobel, 252</ref> On [[22 February]] [[1924]], he became the first President of the United States to deliver a political speech on radio.<ref>[http://oldradioshows.org/02/22/calvin-coolidge-the-first-us-president-to-do-a-radio-address-2-22-08/ Calvin Coolidge, the first US President to do a radio address 2-22-1924 | Old Radio Shows.org<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> On [[11 August]] [[1924]], Coolidge was filmed on the White House lawn by [[Lee De Forest]] in DeForest's [[Phonofilm]] [[sound-on-film]] 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''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archive.org/details/coolidge_1924|title=President Coolidge, Taken on the White House Ground (1924)|accessdate=2007-02-04|format= |work= }}</ref> Coolidge was the only president to have his face on a coin during his lifetime, the sesquicentennial [[Sesquicentennial of American Independence Half Dollar|commemorative half dollar]] of 1926. After his death, he also appeared on a stamp. === Major presidential acts === *Signed [[Immigration Act of 1924]] *Signed [[Revenue Act of 1924]] *Signed [[Indian Citizenship Act of 1924]] *Signed [[Revenue Act of 1926]] *Signed [[Radio Act of 1927]] *Signed [[Revenue Act of 1928]] ===Cabinet=== [[Image:Coolidge Cabinet.jpg|400px|right|thumb|Coolidge's cabinet in 1924, outside the [[White House]]<br>Front row, left to right: [[Harry Stewart New]], [[John W. Weeks]], [[Charles Evans Hughes]], '''Coolidge''', [[Andrew Mellon]], [[Harry M. Daugherty]], [[Curtis D. Wilbur]] <br>Back row, left to right, [[James J. Davis]], [[Henry Cantwell Wallace|Henry C. Wallace]], [[Herbert Hoover]], [[Hubert Work]]]] {| class="toccolours" align="left" !bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"| |- |align="left"|'''OFFICE'''||align="left"|'''NAME'''||align="left"|'''TERM''' |- !bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"| |- |align="middle"|[[President of the United States|President]]||align="left" |'''Calvin Coolidge'''||align="left"|1923&ndash;1929 |- |align="middle"|[[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]]||align="left"|''None''||align="left"|1923&ndash;1925 |- |align="left"|&nbsp;||align="left"|'''[[Charles G. Dawes]]'''||align="left"|1925&ndash;1929 |- !bgcolor="#000000" colspan="3"| |- |align="middle"|[[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]]||align="left"|'''[[Charles Evans Hughes]]'''||align="left"|1923&ndash;1925 |- |align="left"|&nbsp;||align="left"|'''[[Frank B. Kellogg]]'''||align="left"|1925&ndash;1929 |- |align="middle"|[[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury]]||align="left"|'''[[Andrew Mellon]]'''||align="left"|1923&ndash;1929 |- |align="middle"|[[United States Secretary of War|Secretary of War]]||align="left"|'''[[John W. Weeks]]'''||align="left"|1923&ndash;1925 |- |align="left"|&nbsp;||align="left"|'''[[Dwight F. Davis]]'''||align="left"|1925&ndash;1929 |- |align="middle"|[[Attorney General of the United States|Attorney General]]||align="left"|'''[[Harry M. Daugherty]]'''||align="left"|1923&ndash;1924 |- |align="left"|&nbsp;||align="left"|'''[[Harlan F. Stone]]'''||align="left"|1924&ndash;1925 |- |align="left"|&nbsp;||align="left"|'''[[John G. Sargent]]'''||align="left"|1925&ndash;1929 |- |align="middle"|[[Postmaster General of the United States|Postmaster General]]||align="left"|'''[[Harry S. New]]'''||align="left"|1923&ndash;1929 |- |align="middle"|[[United States Secretary of the Navy|Secretary of the Navy]]||align="left"|'''[[Edwin C. Denby|Edwin Denby]]'''||align="left"|1923&ndash;1924 |- |align="left"|&nbsp;||align="left"|'''[[Curtis D. Wilbur]]'''||align="left"|1924&ndash;1929 |- |align="middle"|[[United States Secretary of the Interior|Secretary of the Interior]]||align="left"|'''[[Hubert Work]]'''||align="left"|1923&ndash;1928 |- |align="left"|&nbsp;||align="left"|'''[[Roy O. West]]'''||align="left"|1928&ndash;1929 |- |align="middle"|[[United States Secretary of Agriculture|Secretary of Agriculture]]||align="left"|'''[[Henry Cantwell Wallace|Henry C. Wallace]]'''||align="left"|1923&ndash;1924 |- |align="left"|&nbsp;||align="left"|'''[[Howard M. Gore]]'''||align="left"|1924&ndash;1925 |- |align="left"|&nbsp;||align="left"|'''[[William M. Jardine]]'''||align="left"|1925&ndash;1929 |- |align="middle"|[[United States Secretary of Commerce|Secretary of Commerce]]||align="left"|'''[[Herbert Hoover]]'''||align="left"|1923&ndash;1928 |- |align="left"|&nbsp;||align="left"|'''[[William F. Whiting]]'''||align="left"|1928&ndash;1929 |- |align="middle"|[[United States Secretary of Labor|Secretary of Labor]]||align="left"|'''[[James J. Davis]]'''||align="left"|1923&ndash;1929 |} <br clear="all"> ===Supreme Court appointment=== [[Image:Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone photograph circa 1927-1932.jpg|thumb|200px|right|[[Chief Justice of the United States|Chief Justice]] [[Harlan Fiske Stone]]]] Coolidge appointed one Justice to the [[Supreme Court of the United States]], [[Harlan Fiske Stone]] in 1925. Stone was Coolidge's fellow Amherst alumnus and was serving as dean of [[Columbia Law School]] 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.<ref>Fuess, 364</ref> Stone was later appointed Chief Justice by President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]. ==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 [[New York Life Insurance Company]], as president of the [[American Antiquarian Society]], and as a trustee of Amherst College.<ref> [http://www.vermonthistory.org/arccat/findaid/coolidge.htm Coolidge Family Papers, 1802–1932,] Vermont Historical Society Library. Retrieved on [[2007-05-18]]</ref> Coolidge received an honorary [[Doctor of Laws]] from [[Bates College]] in [[Lewiston, Maine]]. Coolidge published his [[autobiography]] in 1929 and wrote a syndicated newspaper column, "Calvin Coolidge Says," from 1930–1931.<ref>Sobel, 403; Ferrell, 201–202</ref> 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.<ref>Fuess, 457–459; Greenberg, 153</ref> Hoover was renominated, and Coolidge made several radio addresses in support of him.<ref>Fuess, 460</ref> [[Image:Coolidge public address.jpg|right|thumb|Coolidge addressing a crowd at [[Arlington National Cemetery]]'s Roman style [[Arlington Memorial Amphitheater|Memorial Amphitheater]] in 1924.]]He died suddenly of a [[Myocardial infarction|heart attack]] at his home in Northampton, "The Beeches," at 12:45 p.m., [[January 5]] [[1933]].<ref>Greenberg, 154–155</ref> Shortly before his death, Coolidge confided to an old friend: "I feel I am no longer fit in these times."<ref>Sobel, 410</ref> Coolidge is buried beneath a simple headstone in Notch Cemetery, [[Plymouth Notch]], 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 [[July 4]] [[1972]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historicvermont.org/coolidge/coolidge.html|title=President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site|accessdate=2007-02-12}}</ref> Calvin Coolidge's [[Brave Little State of Vermont speech]] is memorialized in the Hall of Inscriptions at the [[Vermont State House]] at Montpelier, Vermont. ==Film== {{multi-video start}} {{multi-video item | filename = Calvin Coolidge video montage.ogg| title = Calvin Coolidge video montage| description =Collection of video clips of the president. (4.0 [[Megabyte|MB]], [[ogg]]/[[Theora]] format). | format = [[Theora]] }} {{multi-video end}} ==Notes== {{reflist|2}} ==References== ===Primary sources=== *[http://www.archive.org/details/havefaithinmassa00cooluoft Coolidge, Calvin. ''Have faith in Massachusetts; a collection of speeches and messages''] * [http://www.archive.org/details/autobiographycal011459mbp Coolidge, Calvin. ''The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge'' (1929)], ISBN 0944951031. * [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=77365439 ''The Talkative President: The Off-the Record Press Conferences of Calvin Coolidge'' edited by Howard H. Quint and Robert H. Ferrell (1964)] ===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., [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0890890374 ''Coolidge and the Historians''] (1983), ISBN 0890890382. * [[Robert Sobel|Sobel, Robert]], ''Coolidge: An American Enigma'' (1998), ISBN 0895264102. * [[William Allen White|White, William Allen]], [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=1105748 ''A Puritan in Babylon: The Story of Calvin Coolidge'' (1938)], {{ASIN|B000O16342}}. * Wilson, Joan Hoff, ''Herbert Hoover, Forgotten Progressive'' (1975), ISBN 0316944165. ===Other=== An academic conference on Coolidge was held July 30–31, 1998, at the [[John F. Kennedy Library]] to mark the 75th anniversary of his lantern-light homestead inaugural. ==See also== * [[Coolidge, Arizona]] * [[Coolidge Dam]] * [[Coolidge effect|The Coolidge Effect]] * The [[SS President Coolidge]] ==External links== {{wikisource author}} {{wikiquote}} {{Commons}} * [http://www.millercenter.virginia.edu/index.php/academic/americanpresident/coolidge Extensive essay on Calvin Coolidge and shorter essays on each member of his cabinet and First Lady from the Miller Center of Public Affairs] * [http://www.historicvermont.org/coolidge/ Calvin Coolidge birthplace, a Vermont State Historic Site] * [http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/cc30.html Official White House biography] * [http://vvl.lib.msu.edu/showfindingaid.cfm?findaidid=CoolidgeC Audio clips of Coolidge's speeches] * [http://www.calvin-coolidge.org/ Calvin Coolidge Memorial Foundation] * [http://www.forbeslibrary.org/coolidge/coolidge.shtml Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum at Forbes Library, Northampton, MA] * [http://www.mass.gov/statehouse/massgovs/ccoolidge.htm Calvin Coolidge official Commonwealth of Massachusetts Governor Biography] * [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/coolhtml/coolhome.html Prosperity and Thrift: The Coolidge Era] at the Library of Congress * {{gutenberg author| id=Calvin+Coolidge | name=Calvin Coolidge}} {{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=[[Grafton D. Cushing]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts]]|years=1916 - 1919}} {{s-aft|rows=2|after=[[Channing H. Cox]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[Samuel W. McCall]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of Governors of Massachusetts|Governor of Massachusetts]]|years=1919 – 1921}} {{s-bef|before=[[Thomas R. Marshall]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Vice President of the United States]]|years=March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923¹}} {{s-aft|after=[[Charles G. Dawes]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[Warren G. Harding]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[President of the United States]]|years=August 2, 1923² – March 4, 1929<!--Sourced; see talk -->}} {{s-aft|after=[[Herbert Hoover]]}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=[[Charles W. Fairbanks]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of United States Republican Party presidential tickets|Republican Party vice presidential candidate]]|years=[[U.S. presidential election, 1920|1920]]}} {{s-aft|after=[[Charles G. Dawes]]}} {{s-bef|before=[[Warren G. Harding]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[List of United States Republican Party presidential tickets|Republican Party presidential candidate]]|years=[[U.S. presidential election, 1924|1924]]}} {{s-aft|after=[[Herbert Hoover]]}} {{s-hon}} {{s-bef|before=[[William Howard Taft]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Oldest living United States president|Oldest U.S. President still living]]|years=March 8, 1930 – January 5, 1933}} {{s-aft|after=[[Herbert Hoover]]}} {{s-ref|President Harding died on August 2.|Coolidge took the oath of office on August 3.}} {{USPresidents}} {{USVicePresidents}} {{USRepPresNominees}} {{USRepVicePresNominees}} {{MAGovernors}} {{featuredarticle}} {{Persondata |NAME=Coolidge, Calvin |ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Coolidge, John Calvin Jr. |SHORT DESCRIPTION=30th U.S. President |DATE OF BIRTH={{birth date|1872|7|4|mf=y}} |PLACE OF BIRTH=[[Plymouth, Vermont]], [[United States of America]] |DATE OF DEATH={{death date|1933|1|5|mf=y}} |PLACE OF DEATH=[[Northampton, Massachusetts]], [[United States of America]] }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Coolidge, Calvin}} [[Category:Presidents of the United States]] [[Category:Vice Presidents of the United States]] [[Category:Governors of Massachusetts]] [[Category:Lieutenant Governors of Massachusetts]] [[Category:Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives]] [[Category:Mayors of places in Massachusetts]] [[Category:Republican Party (United States) presidential nominees]] [[Category:United States presidential candidates, 1920]] [[Category:United States presidential candidates, 1924]] [[Category:Republican Party (United States) vice presidential nominees]] [[Category:American lawyers]] [[Category:Amherst College alumni]] [[Category:People from Northampton, Massachusetts]] [[Category:Plymouth, Vermont]] [[Category:American Congregationalists]] [[Category:English Americans]] [[Category:Deaths by myocardial infarction]] [[Category:1872 births]] [[Category:1933 deaths]] [[ar:كالفين كوليدج]] [[bg:Калвин Кулидж]] [[bn:ক্যালভিন কুলিজ্‌]] [[br:Calvin Coolidge]] [[bs:Calvin Coolidge]] [[ca:Calvin Coolidge]] [[cs:Calvin Coolidge]] [[cy:Calvin Coolidge]] [[da:Calvin Coolidge]] [[de:Calvin Coolidge]] [[dv:ކެލްވިން ކޫލިޖް]] [[eo:Calvin Coolidge]] [[es:Calvin Coolidge]] [[et:Calvin Coolidge]] [[fa:جان کالوین کولیج]] [[fi:Calvin Coolidge]] [[fr:Calvin Coolidge]] [[ga:Calvin Coolidge]] [[gl:John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.]] [[he:קלווין קולידג']] [[hi:कालविन कूलिज]] [[hr:Calvin Coolidge]] [[hu:Calvin Coolidge]] [[id:Calvin Coolidge]] [[io:Calvin Coolidge]] [[is:Calvin Coolidge]] [[it:Calvin Coolidge]] [[ja:カルビン・クーリッジ]] [[ka:კალვინ კულიჯი]] [[ko:캘빈 쿨리지]] [[la:Calvinus Coolidge]] [[lv:Kelvins Kūlidžs]] [[mr:कॅल्विन कूलिज]] [[ms:Calvin Coolidge]] [[nl:Calvin Coolidge]] [[nn:Calvin Coolidge]] [[no:Calvin Coolidge]] [[oc:Calvin Coolidge]] [[pam:Calvin Coolidge]] [[pl:Calvin Coolidge]] [[pt:Calvin Coolidge]] [[rm:Calvin Coolidge]] [[ro:Calvin Coolidge]] [[ru:Кулидж, Калвин]] [[sh:Calvin Coolidge]] [[simple:Calvin Coolidge]] [[sk:Calvin Coolidge]] [[sl:Calvin Coolidge]] [[sq:Calvin Coolidge]] [[sv:Calvin Coolidge]] [[sw:Calvin Coolidge]] [[th:คาลวิน คูลิดจ์]] [[tr:Calvin Coolidge]] [[uk:Калвін Кулідж]] [[vi:Calvin Coolidge]] [[yi:זשאן קעלווין קולידזש]] [[zh:卡尔文·柯立芝]]

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