author
Calvin Coolidge
1872–1933
Known as "Silent Cal," he rose from small-town Vermont to the White House with a reputation for restraint, dry wit, and steady self-control. His life offers a close look at American politics in the prosperous but uneasy 1920s.
4 Audiobooks
State of the Union Addresses
by Calvin Coolidge
Have faith in Massachusetts; 2d ed. A Collection of Speeches and Messages
by Calvin Coolidge
Address of President Coolidge before the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America Washington, D. C., May 1, 1926
by Calvin Coolidge
The autobiography of Calvin Coolidge
by Calvin Coolidge
About the author
Born in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, on July 4, 1872, Calvin Coolidge grew up in a modest New England family, studied at Amherst College, and built his career as a lawyer in Northampton, Massachusetts. Before reaching national office, he moved step by step through local and state politics, serving as mayor of Northampton, president of the Massachusetts Senate, and governor of Massachusetts.
Coolidge became widely known after the 1919 Boston Police Strike, when his response helped make him a national figure. Elected vice president in 1920, he was sworn in as president in August 1923 after Warren G. Harding died in office. He then won election in his own right in 1924 and served as the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929.
He was remembered for his quiet public style, which earned him the nickname "Silent Cal," as well as for a calm, careful approach to government. Admirers have often pointed to his personal discipline and plainspoken character, while critics have debated how his limited-government outlook fit the larger changes of the 1920s. Either way, he remains one of the most distinctive personalities ever to occupy the presidency.