Calvin Coolidge | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Coolidge in 1919 | |
| 30th President of the United States | |
| In office August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1929 | |
| Vice President |
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| Preceded by | Warren G. Harding |
| Succeeded by | Herbert Hoover |
| 29th Vice President of the United States | |
| In office March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923 | |
| President | Warren G. Harding |
| Preceded by | Thomas R. Marshall |
| Succeeded by | Charles G. Dawes |
| 48th Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 2, 1919 – January 6, 1921 | |
| Lieutenant | Channing H. Cox |
| Preceded by | Samuel W. McCall |
| Succeeded by | Channing H. Cox |
| 46th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 6, 1916 – January 2, 1919 | |
| Governor | Samuel W. McCall |
| Preceded by | Grafton D. Cushing |
| Succeeded by | Channing H. Cox |
| President of the Massachusetts Senate | |
| In office January 7, 1914 – January 6, 1915 | |
| Preceded by | Levi H. Greenwood |
| Succeeded by | Henry Gordon Wells |
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate | |
| In office January 3, 1912 – January 6, 1915 | |
| Preceded by | Allen T. Treadway |
| Succeeded by | John B. Hull |
| Constituency | Berkshire, Hampden, and Hampshire counties |
| 16th Mayor of Northampton | |
| In office January 3, 1910 – January 1, 1912 | |
| Preceded by | James W. O'Brien |
| Succeeded by | William Feiker |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 1st Hampshire district | |
| In office January 2, 1907 – January 6, 1909 | |
| Preceded by | Moses M. Bassett |
| Succeeded by | Charles A. Montgomery |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Calvin Coolidge Jr. July 4, 1872 Plymouth Notch, Vermont, U.S. |
| Died | January 5, 1933 (aged 60) Northampton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Resting place | Plymouth Notch Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, including John |
| Parents |
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| Relatives |
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| Education | Amherst College (AB) |
| Occupation |
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| Signature |  |
Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.[1] /ˈkuːlɪdʒ/ KOOL-ij; July 4, 1872 – January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously served as the 29th vice president from 1921 to 1923 and as the 48th governor of Massachusetts from 1919 to 1921. Elected vice president in 1920, he succeeded to the presidency upon the sudden death of President Warren G. Harding in August 1923. Elected in his own right in 1924, Coolidge gained a reputation as a small-government conservative with a taciturn personality and dry sense of humor that earned him the nickname "Silent Cal". His widespread popularity enabled him to run for a second full term, but Coolidge chose not to run again in 1928, remarking that ten years as president would be "longer than any other man has had it—too long!"[b]
During his gubernatorial career, Coolidge ran on the record of fiscal conservatism, strong support for women's suffrage, and vague opposition to Prohibition.[2] His prompt and effective response to the Boston police strike of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight as a man of decisive action. During his presidency, he restored public confidence in the White House after the many scandals of the Harding administration. He signed into law the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, which granted U.S. citizenship to all Native Americans, and oversaw a period of rapid and expansive economic growth known as the "Roaring Twenties", leaving office with considerable popularity.[3] He was known for his hands-off governing approach and pro-business stances; biographer Claude Fuess wrote: "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."[4]
Scholars have ranked Coolidge in the lower half of U.S. presidents. He gains nearly universal praise for his stalwart support of racial equality during a period of heightened racial tension in the nation,[5] and is highly praised by advocates of smaller government and laissez-faire economics; supporters of an active central government generally view him far less favorably. His critics argue that he failed to use the country's economic boom to help struggling farmers and workers in other flailing industries,[6] and there is still much debate among historians as to the extent to which Coolidge's economic policies contributed to the onset of the Great Depression.[7]
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- ^ "John Coolidge, Guardian of President's Legacy. Dies at 93". The New York Times. June 4, 2000. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
[He] had originally been John Calvin Coolidge, but dropped his first name to avoid confusion and later legally changed it.
- ^ Sobel 1998a, p. 111; McCoy 1967, pp. 75–76.
- ^ McCoy 1967, pp. 420–421; Greenberg 2006, pp. 49–53.
- ^ Fuess 1940, p. 500.
- ^ Sobel 1998a, pp. 12–13; Greenberg 2006, pp. 1–7.
- ^ Fieldstadt, Elisha (April 22, 2021). "Presidents ranked from worst to best". CBS News. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
- ^ "Significant Papers – Coolidge Prosperity Gave America the Reserve to Weather the Great Depression". Calvin Coolidge Presidential Foundation. Retrieved September 27, 2021.