Fun Facts about John Calvin Coolidge

He had an electronic horse installed in the White House.

He was the first president to be sworn in by his father.

He was the first president to be born on July fourth.

Because of his quiet nature, he earned the nickname "Silent Cal."

Once a young woman sitting next to Coolidge at a dinner party confided to him she had bet she could get at least three words of conversation from him. Without looking at her he quietly retorted, "You lose."

Early Life and Careers

John Calvin Coolidge was born on Independence Day in Plymouth Notch, Vermont in 1872. He was the son of a village storekeeper. He’s the only US president born on Independence Day. He was the son of John Calvin Coolidge, Sr. and Victoria Josephine Moor. His mother died when he was 12 years old and his only sister Abigail Grace Coolidge died when he was 18. His father remarried to a school teacher and Coolidge grew very close to his step mother. Coolidge went to the Black River Academy and then the Amherst College. After graduation Coolidge started to practice law by being an apprentice in a local law firm in Northampton, Massachusetts. Coolidge also served as the governor of Massachusetts in 1918.

Presidential Election

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.


John W. Davis


Robert La Follette

The Presidential Election of 1924

Coolidge served as the vice-president of the scandalous but good-natured President Warren Harding. With Harding’s unexpected death, on August 3^rd, 1923, Coolidge was sworn into presidency by his father on the family bible. He was later re-sworn into office by the Supreme court Justice. The United States presidential election of 1924 was won by John Calvin Coolidge, Jr., the Republican candidate, his slogan for the election was “Keep cool with Coolidge.” He ran against John W. Davis and Robert La Follette. President Coolidge received 54% of the popular votes. Shortly after the convention, Coolidge’s younger son died from an infection that turned into blood poisoning. In spite of a family loss, Coolidge ran a campaign. He delivered speeches on his theory of government; some of them were even broadcast over the radio.

Domestic and Foreign Affairs

Domestic Affairs

Before we can get into Coolidge’s domestic affairs and policies, we must first define the term “Domestic policy” itself. Domestic policy is a set of laws a government made that is directly related to the concerns and issues in the country. Coolidge went along with the Immigration Act of 1924, this act curbed the number of immigrants allowed within the US and excluded Japanese immigrants all together. Coolidge also supported the Revenue Act of 1924 and 1926; these acts would eventually lead to the stock market crash of 1929.

Foreign Affairs

Calvin Coolidge also had his fair share in the foreign policy during his time. Foreign Policy is basically how a country will interact with other countries beyond its borders. Coolidge's best-known idea was the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928. The treaty committed participants including the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan to "renounce war, as an instrument of national policy in their relations with one another."(Calvin) In other words, war is to be renounced as a means of settling international differences.

Retirement and Death

After his presidency, Coolidge served as chairman of the non-partisan Railroad Commission, as honorary president of the American Foundation for the Blind, as a director of New York Life Insurance Company, as president of the American Antiquarian Society, and as a trustee of Amherst College. Coolidge received an honorary Doctor of Laws from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. He died suddenly of a heart attack at his home in Northampton, at 12:45 p.m., January 5, 1933. His last words to a friend were, “I feel I am no longer fit in these times.” He was 61 yearsold. Coolidge is buried beneath a simple headstone in Notch Cemetery.

Legacy and Impact

Although the people liked Coolidge during his time as president, the Great Depression that began in 1929 seriously damaged his reputation and changed the opinions of the people. Many linked the nation's economic collapse to Coolidge's poor policy decisions such as his support of the Revenue Acts. In addition, Coolidge's support for giant corporations resulted in two hundred major corporations controlled more than 50 percent of the nation's wealth. All the corporations refused to lower the prices of their good because no competitions existed. Coolidge was rank among the lowest of American presidents as far as legacy and impact goes.