U.S. Presidents / Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge

1872 - 1933

Calvin Coolidge

The fundamental precept of liberty is toleration. We cannot permit any inquisition either within or without the law or apply any religious test to the holding of office. The mind of America must be forever free.  Inaugural Address

Overview

A quiet and somber man whose sour expression masked a dry wit, Calvin Coolidge was known as "Silent Cal." After learning of his ascendancy to the presidency following the death of Warren Harding in 1923, Coolidge was sworn in by his father, a justice of the peace, in the middle of the night and, displaying his famous "cool," promptly went back to bed.

Fast Facts

Plymouth Notch, Vermont
Amherst College (graduated 1895)
Congregationalist
Lawyer
Republican
“Silent Cal”
October 4, 1905, to Grace Anna Goodhue (1879–1957)
John (1906–2000), Calvin (1908–1924)
30
Plymouth Notch, Vermont
David Greenberg

Chicago Style

Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. “Calvin Coolidge.” Accessed October 25, 2024. https://millercenter.org/president/coolidge.

Professor of History and Journalism

David Greenberg

Professor Greenberg is a professor of history and of journalism and media studies at Rutgers University.