Show o lidge I e Comes From Sturdy Stock 0 O O o o 01 1 curt t 0 of July u Oas O Boy t President I o os 1 las as s Once nce Defeated a ea e by Democrat By WILLIAM J J. J LOSH United Press Pres Staff Correspondent Corre WASHINGTON ASHINGTON Nov Noy 5 By U. U P. P Calvin r.-Calvin Calvin Coolidge ge of ont became twenty-ninth twenty president of the United States I rough lough the death of his predecessor and was nominated in I IT Town n n right b by the Cleveland con con- tion Mis lIs accession to the presidency s the capstone of 01 a a. long life o of ofil il IT c service that Includes the thee e of ps of city councillor clerk of mayor state representative 1 i senator president of state rate pate lieutenant governor go and c t. t tAIl Alii these offices except the last lastre ere re held b by him In his adopted nt of 01 Northampton and In his state of Massachusetts To is home but his art rt still turns to the hills of ot VerK Verr Ver- Ver K r t tk where he ho lived as a aboy boy alvin ln Coolidge significantly ugh lough to those who read things in ins ms s of 01 omens was born on nth rth of July morning 1872 in the they y mountain hamlet of ot Plymouth Behind his cradle stretched ge gerT- gerT U ns of ot a Puritan inheritance one e side and Protestant Irish on Brother other The trace I i iridescent descent in the United States Ta mla family of ot who set- set Idin Watertown Mass in 1630 ugh the line Is not clear between em m and John Coolidge who set- set Plymouth id In 1780 rs Is mother Victoria Josephine nor sprung from that sturdy tell Ieti l H stock which did much to the wildernesses of ot Ver Ver- nt New ew Hampshire and Maine fertile ferUle fields In the late pearly early arlY Thus hus the heritage of 01 Calvin Cools Cool- Cool s was English The house- house housed d into which he was wa f born was of ot New England type note not- not 11 e for Its frugality Its God fear- fear I devotion to principles of ot con- con lct and sh sheltered back In at mountain nook from the re relation re- re lation kation that tainted the same of ot families In the more ulous Massachusetts lowlands The he house In which Calvin Cool- Cool gel was born was a tiny cottage fe e back aCk room of ot his fathers father's store ae e event was unattended by doce doc- doc II e members of ot the family alone Plymouth when Calvin was born was much the theme thenie nie me me as it is now In 1872 there lei ere five or six houses barns a I oie ore a church a a. district school dla cheese factory Today there one ane more house The village was td d Is twelve miles from the near- near It railroad situated among boul- boul fr 1 strewn fields lel Js that nestled beath beath be- be ath a a. ring of ot eternal hills iThe eThe T e population then as s today ere engaged In the serious bust bust- MB pee s sot of ot wrestling a living from the circumstances s InI in Mich I h they found themselves Few Insures or conveniences were ra or ar desired Such uch as s t they y ere re however could have been pro pro- pro pro- Wed ed by the boys boy's father for he hes s a man of ot Importance He had hadn n and nd since has served in in both th J assembly and senate of ot his let late t been constable moderator r other public offices Pr rily however he was a farmer OF COOLIDGE In this atmosphere of ot austerity a 4 the strictly business side elde of ot liv- liv er Calvin Coolidge was reared e boy was not strong or active p to te the Inheritance of ot the big bigny bigny t n ny ny frame of ot his forefathers All Alls s 8 life fe this circumstance kept him himI himm bm I m playing that part among the themes mss mes of ot childhood and youth that her boys played Evidence is that i n vin was more serious than aver aver- This is ascribed to the utter a and almost monastic se- se rity of his home life Calvin Cal had ha har r ln boyish chores to do and he dl them hem without question I never had to tell him to do a aIng aIng Ing twice his father once said paid aid visitor to the Coolidge household calls one night about 2 a a. a m. m that 4 heard eard a noise downstairs and thinking someone ill m. Ibe piere lLe a she found in the dark a small p 0 I forgot to bring in the theod food od said Calvin Im going to edit now The boyhood and early youth of lvin IV-In were spent in the routine of 1 I farm and going to the district I ool hool AJI As he exhausted the ca- ca I t tty city of ot the village school teacher y he went to to Black River Ri a academy a at I Ludlow twelve miles west In 1890 Calvin went down to Amherst Amherst Am- Am herst to enter but a spell of ot sickness sickness sickness sick sick- I Am-I ness forced him to abandon the project and he returned home Rather than lose the year I ear however I after he had recovered he went to St. St Johnsbury academy and pursued his studies Amherst claimed him in 1891 and here he spent the next four years He took no part In athletics except to hold stakes as he once said His bent led him into debating It was through his skill as a deb debater ter that he I eventually obtained An immediate consequence of ot this emergence was his being sought by the Gre Greek k letter societies He Joined the Phi Gamma Delta w which his son John Coolidge has now likewise Joined His Hig two collegiate triumphs were the winning of a prize in intercollegiate intercollegiate intercol intercol- competition with an essay I entitled Principles of 01 the American Ameri Ameri- can Revolution and his selection I to deliver the class oration at commencement com com- Turned loose on on the world young Coolidge did what many College ollege graduates do go do-go go home Ronne to think it over He returned to the farm and took stock of ot his assets He had a I cultural ed education but no specialty Finally one day he went to his father and asked him if he wanted him to stay on the farm He had decided to study law An opportunity to read law In a Northampton office came to him through his commencement day oration Judge Henry A A. A Field of ot Hammon Field law lawyers ers in hi Northampton heard the address and offered him the position Colonel Coolidge apparently ap ap- ap- ap told him to follow his own desires for Calvin went to Northampton Northampton Northampton North North- ampton and has made it his home ever since For two years Coolidge studied diligently with his Blackstone and June 29 1897 he was admitted to I the bar a full fledged lawyer He hung hung- out his shingle and went it alone Isis His former employers ers helped him alon along but Coolidge got out and rustled business for himself and ultimately obtained an income SHORT OF FUNDS An Interesting sidelight on these years ears was shed last summer by his father when the president returned to Plymouth for a vacation The old man was proud of the regularity of his sons son's annual visits but admitted that th t he did not see Cal for tor a few years after he left home for North- North hampton Asked why he replied Well I dont don't think he had the money for railroad fare Coolidge labored diligently at his small amaH practice He became known as the poOr mans man's lawyer The chance hance to enter politics came to him himin himin himin in 1899 He had naturally Inherited his fathers father's Vermont Likewise h he h had d been made mad a member member mem- mem ber bec of ot the Republican City committee committe commit commit- te tee of ot Northampton Northhampton In 1899 he stood for city councilman and was elected serving two terms in the post James Lucey his nis cobbler friend helped him The city becoming vacant at the end endot of ot his second term he ran for that and was elected Ho He went through the tho political treadmill of ot the city i holding office as examiner of ot titles I and clerk of 01 courts ultimately becoming becoming be be- coming Republican City chairman II Coolidge was rooming with a steward d of ot the Clark School for the Deaf located at Northampton at which Grace A A. A Goodhue of ot BurlIngton Burlington Burlington Burl Burl- ington Vermont a graduate of ot the University of Vermont and daughter daugh daugh- ter of ot a steamboat inspector was wasa a teacher One night Miss Goodhue came to the house for dinner and the downfall of ot Coolidge was teas com cons I They were married at Burlington Burlington Burl Burl- ington October 4 1905 Returning Burl I to Northhampton they occupied first an apartment and then half of ota a double house on Massasoit avenue the house to which this day Coolidge Coolidge Coolidge Cool Cool- idge looks as home After the wedding Coolidge again looked to his political fences He was growing in the favor of ot the political sachems of oJ the re region T The I o opportunity cane came to run for a seat seaton seaton on the school board and Coolidge I announced his candidacy candidacy- two months after he was married HIS FIRST DEFEAT He was defeated by his Democratic Democratic Democratic Demo Demo- cratic opponent the first time he ever took the count in the poll political ring Nothing daunted he went back to his law practice the following year ear ran for the state legislature I During the campaign for this post Coolidge first exhibited a n trait which brought him under fire in inthe inthe i I Ithe the campaign Just ended the ended the refusal refus retus- I al to be drawn out or smoked out b by his opponents His Democratic I Ib opponent in his first campaign for forthe forthe forthe the assembly sought to get him i into a debate but Coolidge ignored him and won b by a pt L majority of ot 63 I votes He went up to Boston armed with witha I a Q letter to the speaker John N N. Cole from his friend Richard W. W Irwin The letter said of 01 Coolidge I Like a singed cat he he heIs is better than he looks Coolidge was assigned to the Mercantile Mer ller- Ier- Ier I cantile cantio affairs committee and throughout the session he paid pai strict attention to business He made only i ione one short speech Next year he was reelected this time getting on the Important Judiciary and banking committees At the end of ot the two years in the assembly and at the close of ot 1908 Coolidge was automatically retired by an unwritten law which said no member could hold his seat longer than two years He returned to law practice richer in knowledge of ot legislative ways in friends and political political po po- po- po acquaintance But he did not long remain politically politically poli poll inactive The campaign in Northhampton in 1909 offered a chance to proceed further On the political ladder He was nominated nominated nominated nom nom- by the Republican and after a bitter campaign In which the liquor license figured prominently he was elected Again in this campaign he refused to be drawn into debate Coolidge administered the mayors mayor's of office Ice apparently to the satisfaction satisfaction satisfaction tion of ot the people for he was reelected reelected reelected re- re elected for fOl the 1911 term His op opponents opponents opponents op- op raised the familiar cry of ot colorless administration and at attacked attacked attacked at- at tacked his silence a- a a a. shoe gum campaign but he triumphed Two years as mayor brought to toan toan toan an end Coolidge took the next step and went to the state senate As a senator Cooldige identified himself with liberal legislation He fought for an an antimonopoly bill and an an bill He was chairman chairman chairman chair chair- man of ot a Joint legislative committee commit commit- tee which settled a serious strike of ot workers mill s at Lawrence Mass At the end o of or his first term he was reelected reelect d. d In 1914 word reached reache 1 Coolidge that the president of ot the senate would not be a candidate for tor re reelection reelection re- re election He lie got busy and assured himself of the votes necessary to tobe tobe tobe be elected to to the position without opposition in 1916 His principal claim to fame during during during dur dur- ing the occupancy of the chair was his championship of brevity It was wasat wasat wasat at this stage too that his conservatism conservatism conserva conserva- developed Where here he had been beena a champion of reform legislation during his early legislative years he now became convinced that administrations administrations administrations ad ad- ministrations should be given time timeto timeto timeto to catch up with legislation STEARNS ENTERS PICTURE During 1916 his friends began to talk talL to him of ot the lieutenant gover- gover It was ryas about this time that Frank W W. Stearns Boston merchant and since then a lifelong friend and angel of ot Coolidge came on the scene Stearns had been Interested in a bill which brought him in contact contact contact con con- tact with the Vermonter and he conceived conceived con con- the idea that as a fellow I Amherst man he would like to see Coolidge advanced Ste Stearns or orI organized organized or- or i a dinner x Ot of f Amherst men I sprung his proposal to back Coolidge Coolidge Coolidge Cool Cool- idge for lieutenant governor on the the Republican ticket and got them to work in the primaries Coolidge won Lyon in the primaries and was victoriously victorious victorious- Ij ly returned in the election For three thre 3 Years ears he sat in the state statehouse statehouse I house ouse as lieutenant governor He lived in one room at the Adams house with Mrs Coolidge and Worried worried worried wor wor- ried along on a salary of ot 2000 a year When Governor McCall McCaU decided to retire In 1918 Coolidge was the unopposed unopposed unopposed un un- un- un opposed candidate of 01 his his' party part and ho he swept to victory in the fall faU of 01 that year He was inaugurated on January 1 1919 Outstanding events during the first year ear of ot his administration were the welcome of ot the Yankee division di on its return from France his welcome to President Wilson upon returning from Paris and finally the great Boston police strike of 01 September 1919 So much doubt has ras been cast upon the part Coolidge played in the strike and Its settlement that historians historians historians his his- I alone will be able to say say- just what the facts are The friends of Coolidge say he stood as an apostle apostle apos apos- tle tie of law and order His critics say he shirked his dut duty ran away from it it and then returned to take the credit for another mans man's cour cour- age The strike was precipitated on oh September 9 9 Wh when n two-thirds two of the Boston police force struck following following following follow follow- ing suspension of t nineteen of ot their number for alleged violation of ot an order not to join a union Riots and followed the withdrawal wal of 01 the police protection Governor Coolidge hastened to Bo Boston Bolton ton from fromI I the western part o of the st state te where he h had d been addressing a meeting of the American Federation of Labor Labor Labor La La- bor the night before BOSTON POLICE STRIKE The Boston force torce at the time was under a special commission dependent depend depend- en ent t on the governors governor's office Their head was a special police commissioner commissioner commis commis- responsible to the the governor Coolidge though in town with I the situation hourly growing more menacing refused to Interfere with the police commissioner whose duty it was to handle the trouble His position was that he refused o compromise compromise com com- promise the authority of f the law All the night of 01 the the dIsorders disorders disorders dis dIs- orders proceeded Early Earh on the morning of the the police commissioner com com- missioner appealed for state troops Coolidge ordered the tr troops ops to re report report re- re port at once declared martial law and Issued a proclamation taking over command of ot of the p police He ultimately brought order out or of chaos i It has been claimed that Mayor Maor Peters of 01 Boston Boston alarmed by the delay of the govenor govenor |