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John Calvin Coolidge Jr. was a Republican lawyer, who gained political experience in Massachusetts by being the state governor. He had been known by his methods during the Boston Police Strike of the year 1919 before becoming the country’s twenty-ninth Vice President in 1920. He became President after the untimely death of Warren Harding in 1923. He was known to be a quiet conservative.
Coolidge was born the elder of two children in Plymouth Notch, Windsor Country in Vermont on the 4th of July 1872. He was the only president to have been born on Independence Day. Coolidge had first studied in Black River Academy before moving on to Amherst College. In order to save the hassle of spending large amounts of money in a law school, he decided to become an apprentice and law reader in Hammond & Field, a local law firm. He gained entry to the bar and became a country lawyer. In 1898 he was able to open his own office with the help of his measly savings and an inheritance from his deceased grandfather. He found it best to stay out of court while attending to his clients, practicing transactional law. Soon his reputation started to grow as local banks and other business ventures began seeking his services.
Coolidge became Vice President in the year 1921. As Vice President, Coolidge was invited to many cabinet meetings, becoming the first man in the position to gain such privilege. He was known, however, as a quiet and private person, gaining him the nickname “Silent Cal.” His reputation as a quiet and serious man spread throughout the country, with some scholars debating whether it is a campaign tactic or is truly his personality. Nevertheless, Coolidge’s mysterious demeanor continued until he became President in 1923.
President Harding died in California on August 2, 1923. Coolidge was in his Vermont home during that time with his father when he received news of this untimely death. It was reported that he dressed, prayed and greeted the reporters outside his house. Calvin Coolidge, Sr., a notary public, gave him the oath of office using their family Bible. The oath-taking took place by their kerosene lamp on August 23, 1923, three hours before sunrise. He was re-sworn to position by Justice Hoehling, Jr. when he returned to Washington after finding out that a mere notary public had done the duty.
Coolidge inherited a presidency that was filled with scandal and corruption, and he swore to fix these and restore the public’s trust in the administration. A big surprise came when he decided not to force the previous people of the administration to resign. He gave a speech addressing Harding’s previous governance, and that it was his duty to continue what the former president had started. It was the first speech of an American president to be broadcasted by a radio.
As president, Coolidge tried his best to control the stock market. During that era, the United States had been undergoing the Roaring Twenties, or the period of economic growth. Taxes during that time were greatly reduced after being filed by his Secretary of Treasury Andrew Mellon. The new tax code enable only a select people to pay the taxes, and Coolidge gave reductions to federal debt. Even the Republicans in the Congress agreed to these views. The most well-known contribution of Coolidge’s presidency was the farm subsidies that fought the aggravating prices of agriculture. Other actions worth noting were his methods of flood control during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. He, however, failed to control the stock market in the end, which resulted in its crash on October 1929.
Coolidge suddenly suffered a heart attack at his home forty-five minutes after noon on the 5th of January, 1933. He died immediately. It is reported that shortly before he passed away, he told an old friend of his that he feels that he could not fit in with the times anymore. His body is buried underneath a simple headstone in the North Cemetery of Plymouth Notch in Vermont, the place where his ancestral home had stood. The state dedicated a center for new visitors to mark his hundredth birthday on the 4th of July, 1972. In the Hall of Inscriptions inside the Vermont State House, his Brave Little State of Vermont speech is inscribed.
Coinage legislation under President Coolidge
• Act of March 17, 1924: Authorized the Stone Mountain Memorial commemorative half-dollar.
• Act of February 24, 1925: Authorized the Battle of Bennington/Vermont Sesquicentennial commemorative half-dollar.
• Act of May 17, 1926: Authorized the Oregon Trail Memorial commemorative half-dollar.
• Act of March 7, 1928: Authorized the Hawaiian Sesquicentennial commemorative half-dollar.
United States Mint Directors Appointed by President Coolidge
• Robert J. Grant of Colorado – 1923 - 1933