October 1, 2019 (Tuesday)
Calvin Coolidge was born July 4, 1872 in Plymouth, Vermont, and died January 5, 1933 in Northampton, Massachusetts. He married Grace Anna Goodhue in 1905 and they had two sons, Calvin and John. His nickname was “Silent Cal.” He served as President 1923-1929. He was a Republican. He was inaugurated at age 51.
Calvin’s father was a storekeeper who taught Calvin the vaues of frugality, hard work, and honesty. Calvin was known as a quiet, but hardworking boy.
Calvin attended Amherst College and then moved to Massachusetts to study law. In 1897 he passed the bar and became a lawyer opening his own law firm a year later. He worked in various city offices over the next several years. Then he became a state legislator and mayor of the city of Northampton. He then was elected as lieutenant governor of Massachusetts and, in 1918, won the election to become governor of Massachusetts.
As governor of Massachusetts, Coolidge gained national recognition during the 1919 Boston Police Strike. This was when the Boston police formed a union and then decided to strike. The streets of Boston became dangerous with no police around. Coolidge then fired the strikers and a new police force was recruited.
In 1920 Coolidge was unexpectedly chosen as the vice presidential running mate for Warren Harding. They won the election and Coolidge became vice president. In 1923 President Harding died. Coolidge was at his family home when he learned that President Harding died. Coolidge’s father, a notary public, administered the oath of office to Coolidge in the middle of the night by the light of a kerosene lamp.
Harding’s administration had been full of corruption and scandal. Coolidge had not been a part of the corruption and he immediately fired corrupt and inept officials and hired new reliable staffers. Under Coolidge, the economy thrived. This period of prosperity became known as the “Roaring Twenties”.
After finishing Harding’s term, Coolidge was elected to another term of president. Coolidge opted not to run for president again in 1928. Although he likely would have won, he felt he had been president long enough. He died of a sudden heart attack four years after leaving the presidency. He had retired to Massachusetts and spent his time writing his autobiography and going out on his boat.
John Calvin Coolidge – President 1923-1929