Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge
Harris & Ewing · Public domain · source
Name	Calvin Coolidge
Caption	Coolidge c. 1919
Order	30th
Office	President of the United States
Term start	August 2, 1923
Term end	March 4, 1929
Vicepresident	None (1923–1925), Charles G. Dawes (1925–1929)
Predecessor	Warren G. Harding
Successor	Herbert Hoover
Order2	29th
Office2	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	48th
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
Birth name	John Calvin Coolidge Jr.
Birth date	4 July 1872
Birth place	Plymouth Notch, Vermont
Death date	5 January 1933
Death place	Northampton, Massachusetts
Party	Republican
Spouse	Grace Goodhue, 1905
Children	2, including John Coolidge
Education	Amherst College (BA)
Profession	Lawyer

Calvin Coolidge was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican from Vermont, he ascended to the presidency upon the death of Warren G. Harding and was elected in his own right in 1924. Known for his quiet demeanor and commitment to limited government, his administration was marked by economic prosperity, tax cuts, and a restrained foreign policy.

Early life and career

John Calvin Coolidge Jr. was born on July 4, 1872, in the small village of Plymouth Notch, Vermont, to John Calvin Coolidge Sr. and Victoria Josephine Moor. He attended Black River Academy and later graduated from Amherst College in 1895. After reading law with a firm in Northampton, Massachusetts, he was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1897. He entered local politics, serving as a city councilman for Northampton and later as city solicitor. Coolidge climbed the Republican ladder in Massachusetts, holding offices including clerk of courts for Hampshire County, state representative, mayor of Northampton, state senator, and lieutenant governor. His decisive handling of the 1919 Boston Police Strike as governor brought him national prominence and a place on the 1920 Republican ticket with Warren G. Harding.

Presidency

Coolidge became president on August 2, 1923, after receiving news of Harding's death while visiting his family home in Plymouth Notch, Vermont. He was sworn in by his father, a notary public, in a simple ceremony. He restored public confidence after the scandals of the Harding administration and easily won the 1924 presidential election against Democrat John W. Davis and Progressive Robert M. La Follette. His philosophy of "The business of the American people is business" guided his policies, which included signing the Revenue Act of 1924 and the Revenue Act of 1926, championed by Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon, to reduce taxes. He vetoed the McNary–Haugen Farm Relief Bill twice, opposed U.S. membership in the League of Nations, and oversaw the signing of the Kellogg–Briand Pact. His administration saw the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 and the Immigration Act of 1924. He worked closely with Vice President Charles G. Dawes and Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover.

Post-presidency and death

True to his statement that he did not "choose to run" in 1928, Coolidge retired to Northampton after leaving the White House. He wrote a syndicated newspaper column titled "Calvin Coolidge Says" and an autobiography. He served on the non-partisan Railway Labor Board and was a trustee of Amherst College. He grew increasingly disillusioned with the policies of his successor, Herbert Hoover, as the Great Depression deepened. On January 5, 1933, Coolidge died suddenly of coronary thrombosis at his home, "The Beeches," in Northampton. His funeral was held at his former Northampton church, and he was buried in the Plymouth Notch cemetery.

Legacy and historical view

Coolidge's legacy is closely tied to the prosperous era of the Roaring Twenties and the subsequent economic collapse. Supporters praise his fiscal restraint, tax policies, and respect for constitutional limits, principles championed by later conservatives like Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. Detractors argue his laissez-faire approach contributed to the speculative excesses that led to the Great Depression. His quiet and often remote personality earned him the nickname "Silent Cal." Memorials include the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum at the Forbes Library in Northampton, Massachusetts, and his birthplace in Plymouth Notch, which is preserved as the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site. Historians often rank him in the mid-tier of U.S. presidents.

Category:Calvin Coolidge Category:Presidents of the United States Category:American lawyers