Calvin Coolidge Biography Quotes 48 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
John Calvin Coolidge Jr. was born on July 4, 1872, in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, to John Calvin Coolidge Sr., a farmer, storekeeper, and local officeholder, and Victoria Moor Coolidge. Growing up in a small, rural community shaped his frugality, reserve, and respect for lawful order. He attended local schools and then studied at Black River Academy and St. Johnsbury Academy before entering Amherst College in Massachusetts. At Amherst, he was influenced by professors who stressed clarity of thought and civic duty. He graduated in 1895, read law in Northampton, Massachusetts, and was admitted to the bar in 1897.

Starting a Legal and Municipal Career
Coolidge built a steady law practice in Northampton while immersing himself in Republican politics. He served on the city council, became city solicitor, and gained a reputation for reliability and careful preparation. In 1905 he married Grace Anna Goodhue, a teacher at the Clarke School for the Deaf; her warmth and sociability complemented his quiet demeanor. The couple had two sons, John and Calvin Jr. Coolidge's early offices in local government taught him the value of fiscal restraint and the practicalities of administration, themes that would recur throughout his career.

Massachusetts Legislature and Executive Leadership
Elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Coolidge practiced a brand of conservatism centered on balanced budgets and incremental reform. He then served in the state senate, becoming its president in 1914. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1915 and governor in 1918. His statewide prominence surged during the 1919 Boston Police Strike. When the city descended into disorder, Coolidge backed public safety over bargaining with striking officers, declaring, There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time. The episode won him national attention as a firm yet orderly executive.

From National Figure to the Vice Presidency
The Republican ticket of 1920 paired Warren G. Harding for president with Coolidge for vice president. In Washington, Coolidge presided over the Senate with characteristic restraint and worked collegially with administration figures such as Secretary of State Charles Evans Hughes, Secretary of the Treasury Andrew Mellon, and Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover. When the Teapot Dome scandal originating in the Harding era roiled public trust, Coolidge encouraged full legal inquiry, a stance that later informed his own approach to executive integrity.

Unexpected Accession to the Presidency
Harding died suddenly in August 1923 while traveling in the West. At the Coolidge family home in Vermont, with the nation stunned, Coolidge was sworn in by his father, a notary public and justice of the peace, in a simple ceremony by lamplight. To quiet legal doubts, he took a subsequent oath in Washington. He set out to steady the administration, retain capable officials, and demonstrate disinterest in patronage. He quickly supported independent special prosecutors, including Atlee Pomerene and Owen J. Roberts, to pursue remaining Teapot Dome investigations, distancing the presidency from scandal.

Domestic Policy and the Economy
Coolidge championed limited government, low taxes, and debt reduction. Working with Andrew Mellon, he endorsed the Revenue Acts of 1924 and 1926, which lowered tax rates and simplified brackets. He pressed agencies to economize, collaborated with budget officials to keep spending in check, and retired portions of the national debt. Economic growth, rising industrial output, and widespread consumer credit defined what many called Coolidge prosperity, even as imbalances in agriculture and finance went unresolved. He vetoed the McNary-Haugen farm relief bills, arguing that price supports would distort markets and burden taxpayers.

Law, Regulation, and Technology
Coolidge approached regulation as a means to regularize, not to direct, commerce. He signed the Air Commerce Act of 1926, encouraging safety standards and navigation aids for civil aviation, a field championed by Herbert Hoover. The Radio Act of 1927 created a federal framework for allocating frequencies amid a booming new medium. He used the presidency to popularize radio addresses, making his concise style a national fixture. In 1924 he signed the Indian Citizenship Act, extending U.S. citizenship to Native Americans, and that same year approved the Immigration Act, which imposed national-origin quotas reflecting the era's restrictive sentiment.

Foreign Affairs
Though the United States remained outside the League of Nations, Coolidge supported pragmatic engagement. Under Secretaries of State Charles Evans Hughes and Frank B. Kellogg, the administration backed debt settlements with Allied nations and lent support to European stabilization efforts, including the Dawes Plan of 1924 associated with Charles G. Dawes. The Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928, renouncing war as an instrument of national policy, symbolized interwar hopes for peace even as enforcement mechanisms were limited.

The 1924 Election and Cabinet Leadership
Widely viewed as a calming presence after turmoil, Coolidge secured the 1924 Republican nomination and won decisively over Democrat John W. Davis and Progressive Robert M. La Follette Sr. His running mate was Charles G. Dawes. Coolidge relied on experienced cabinet members. Andrew Mellon remained pivotal in tax policy; Herbert Hoover expanded the Commerce Department's role in standard-setting and disaster relief; and Frank B. Kellogg succeeded Hughes at State, culminating in the 1928 pact that bore his name. Coolidge made one appointment to the Supreme Court, elevating Harlan F. Stone in 1925. Chief Justice William Howard Taft administered Coolidge's formal inaugural oath that year.

Crisis, Grief, and Governance
The presidency's most personal blow came in 1924 when Calvin Jr. died after an infection, a loss that shadowed the family and deepened Coolidge's natural reserve. In 1927, the Great Mississippi Flood devastated large portions of the South. Hoover coordinated relief efforts, enhancing his public profile. Coolidge, wary of expanding federal authority, favored cooperation among federal, state, and private actors. Critics argued for more direct federal intervention; supporters saw his approach as consistent with constitutional limits and fiscal prudence.

Decision Not to Run and the End of His Term
In August 1927 Coolidge announced, I do not choose to run for President in 1928. He believed two elected terms were ample for any president and sensed he had accomplished his principal goals. Herbert Hoover secured the Republican nomination and won the election. Coolidge maintained public decorum during the transition and departed office in March 1929, just months before the stock market crash that autumn. He defended his record against later criticism that policies of the 1920s contributed to the Great Depression, arguing that credit excesses and global factors exceeded the foresight of policymakers.

Later Years and Death
Returning to Northampton, Coolidge resumed a modest life with Grace Coolidge. He wrote a succinct and well-received Autobiography and contributed syndicated newspaper columns that reiterated his themes of thrift, local responsibility, and constitutional restraint. He maintained friendships with former colleagues and followed national affairs without seeking to overshadow his successor. On January 5, 1933, he died suddenly of coronary causes at his home in Massachusetts. He was 60.

Character and Legacy
Coolidge's public image as Silent Cal masked a dry humor and methodical mind. Admirers praised his honesty, frugality, and respect for process; critics judged his minimalism inadequate to emerging economic and social complexities. His partnership with Andrew Mellon defined the tax-cutting, debt-reducing thrust of the era; his work with Herbert Hoover showed a preference for cooperative federalism; and his support for Frank B. Kellogg's diplomacy captured aspirations for peace. His presidency solidified the modern practice of executive budgeting, normalized the radio address, and left a record of calm stewardship. Debates over his legacy track larger arguments about the proper scope of federal power in American life, ensuring that Calvin Coolidge remains a central figure in the history of the 1920s.

Our collection contains 48 quotes who is written by Calvin, under the main topics: Witty One-Liners - Motivational - Ethics & Morality - Wisdom - Justice.

Other people realated to Calvin: Will Rogers (Actor), Alice Roosevelt Longworth (Author), Harlan Stone (Lawyer), Henry L. Stimson (Statesman), Charles Curtis (Vice President), B. Carroll Reece (Politician), George William Norris (Politician), Warren G. Harding (President), Dwight Morrow (Businessman), Henry Cantwell Wallace (Politician)

• 1929 The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge (Autobiography)
• 1925 Inaugural Address (Second Inauguration) (Non-fiction)
• 1924 Acceptance Address at the Republican National Convention (Non-fiction)
• 1923 Remarks at the Swearing-In (Vermont Oath and Address) (Non-fiction)