LESSER-KNOWN FACTS ABOUT OUR PRESIDENTS
Or PRESIDENTIAL PARAGRAPHS - #30
Mort Fox
Calvin Coolidge, our 30th president, was the antithesis of the “roaring twenties”. Silent
Cal, as he was often referred to, was known for his reserve and reticence. At a social
gathering, a woman came up to Coolidge and said, “Mr. President, I made a bet that I
could get you to say more than two words”. Coolidge responded, “You lose”.
John Calvin Coolidge was born in Vermont on Independence Day in 1857. As a child he
was extremely shy. This trait was so prominent that he was absolutely panicked to meet a
stranger. He would grow out of his excessive shyness. Young Cal attended public
schools. He wasn’t a scholar but rather a mediocre student initially. When he first
attempted to pass the entrance exam at Amherst College, he failed. After taking
preparatory instruction at an academy, he was given an entry certificate to Amherst.
His college career started off with a lack of luster, but as he entered his junior year, his
scholastic standing began to take a turn for the better. His personality also began to show
signs of life and social development and he became known as a wit on campus. In 1895
he graduated cum laude. As can be seen, he was a late bloomer academically.
Coolidge’s interest in politics began long before finishing his college days. In 1892 he
joined the Republican Party. He took a familiar avenue for a budding political aspirant.
He read law and passed the bar in 1897, then proceeded to open his own office in
Northampton, Massachusetts. For the next few years he was involved in local politics. He
was a member of the city council and clerk of the county court.
His career stepped right along. Mayor, state senator, lieutenant governor and in 1919 he
became governor of Massachusetts. As such, he received national attention for his
handling of the Boston police strike. He stated, “There is no right to strike against public
safety by anybody, anywhere, any time.”
In 1920 at the Republican Convention, he was nominated to be Warren G. Harding’s
vice-presidential running mate. He proceeded to serve in that capacity from 1921 to 1923
until Harding’s death in August. The vice-president was vacationing at the home of his
father in Vermont. Between 2:30 and 3AM, on the 2nd, his father awakened him with the
news of Harding’s death. The senior Coolidge was a Justice of the Peace and swore in his
son as the new president. Afterwards the new president went back to sleep.
In 1924 the Immigration Act changed the complexion and number of new arrivals. The
overall quota was dropped from 3% to 2% of foreign nationals in the U.S. based on the
1890 census, not the 1910 one. And the new law also gave preference to Northern
Europeans as opposed to those who came from the Eastern and Southern parts of that
continent.
The Revenue Acts of 1924 and 1926 greatly benefited the wealthy. The effect was to
reduce income and inheritance taxes. Some of this increased investment capability led to
questionable speculation that contributed to the up-coming Great Depression.
Although Coolidge vetoed the Veterans Bonus bill, it passed in 1924. However, the
proceeds were not available for 20 years. This would lead to the Bonus March on
Washington a few years hence.
The 1924 Republican Convention would make Coolidge its candidate by an
overwhelming majority. The proceedings of the convention were the first ever broadcast
on the radio. The election would be his by a substantial margin.
1926 saw the establishment of commercial airline routes. One of the first of these
connected New York with San Francisco. It only took eight stops along the way to
complete the trip. The aircraft of the period were not noted for speed, comfort or
quietness.
Congress twice attempted to pass legislation to support farm prices. The president twice
vetoed the bills. He was opposed to any form of price fixing.
A year before the election, Coolidge stated, “I do not choose to run for president in
1928”. This pronouncement came as a great surprise to most Americans. Coolidge died
at home in Massachusetts in 1933.