The Presidency of Calvin Coolidge: 100 Years Later

2023 marks 100 years since Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president and Vermont native, took office.

Coolidge was born in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, on July 4, 1872. He’s the only president to share a birthday with America. From a young age, he developed trade skills and spent time observing his father serve in areas such as Justice of the Peace and member of the Vermont General Assembly.

Coolidge’s path into politics began in 1895 when he began studying law in Massachusetts. Soon after, he was elected to the Northampton City Council. Over the next 25 years, he served in various levels of Massachusetts government as state legislator, mayor of Northampton, state senator, lieutenant governor, and governor.

As governor, he gained fame due to his response to the 1919 Boston Police Strike, saying: “There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, anytime.”

In 1920, Coolidge was elected vice president to Warren Harding. Three years later, Harding suddenly died, pushing Coolidge into the spotlight. On August 3, 1923, at 2:47 a.m. his father, a notary public, swore Coolidge into office.

Coolidge was a quiet, humble president, and maybe that’s why he was so successful. Careful not to take unnecessary actions, he understood the importance of small government. On this subject, he once said: “Where others do, don’t, and if you have to do, do less.”  In all his endeavors Coolidge never wasted a single word. He spoke through his actions.

Coolidge left the federal budget lower than he found it, lowered taxes, created higher wages, and took particular pains to veto bills that would increase government spending. When it came to the power of the veto, he said: "It is much more important to kill a bad bill, than to pass a good one."

Coolidge understood that government works best when the power is in the hands of the people and states, rather than the federal government. He said: “What we need, is not more federal government but better local government.”

Coolidge proved his support of term limits by the way he lived. Serving for one term, he moved on to other opportunities to help the nation, much like George Washington.

A key part of Coolidge’s presidency was his efforts to limit the government’s involvement in the economy. He did this mainly through inaction; leaving the free-market economy to run the way it does best, without interference. As a result of this, the economy thrived during his presidency. Coolidge is often blamed for the Great Depression, but this simply isn’t true. The depression was really caused by later administrations, who took too much action.

Coolidge also refused to support legislation that got the federal government involved with private entities. A famous example of this is when a bill came before him about providing federal farm subsidies. Coolidge knew this wasn’t something the federal government should be involved in. He vetoed the bill.

Today, as the federal government gets bigger and bigger, our nation needs more men and women who will follow Calvin Coolidge’s legacy. He would surely support the Convention of States mission of reining in the federal government through term limits, fiscal restraints, and limits to its scope and jurisdiction.