Carlos Coolidge (June 25, 1792 – August 15, 1866) was an American
Whig politician, a lawyer, a
Vermont State Representative
The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives are ...
, the
Speaker of the Vermont House, a
State Senator
A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature.
Description
A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...
, and the 19th
governor of Vermont.
Biography
Coolidge was born in
Windsor, Vermont, in 1792. He attended the schools of Windsor, and studied with Reverend James Converse of
Weathersfield in preparation for attending college. He began studies at
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...
, transferred to
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...
in 1809, and graduated with honors in 1811. He studied law with Peter Starr of
Middlebury, and then with
Jonathan H. Hubbard of Windsor, attained admission to the bar, and began a practice in Windsor in 1814. Coolidge was active well into his old age, and practiced for more than fifty years.
On September 22, 1817, Coolidge married Harriet Bingham and the couple had two daughters, Mary and Harriet.
Mary Coolidge (1818–1875) was the wife of Reverend Franklin Butler (1814–1880). Harriet (1826–1831) died at the age of 5.
Career
In 1816, Coolidge was commissioned as a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
in the
Vermont Militia, and assigned to 1st Regiment, 4th Division. He remained in the militia for several years, and advanced to
colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
and commander of the regiment.
Coolidge was one of the first members of the state Board of Bank Commissioners. He was elected
State's Attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...
for
Windsor County and served from 1831 until 1836. He was a Representative in the Vermont House from 1834 to 1837, and served as Speaker from 1836 to 1837. He served in the House again from 1839 to 1842, and was again Speaker of the House. In 1835 he received an honorary Master of Arts degree from the
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...
.
Coolidge was one of Vermont's presidential electors
in 1844, and cast his ballot for
Henry Clay
Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...
and
Theodore Frelinghuysen
Theodore Frelinghuysen (March 28, 1787April 12, 1862) was an American politician who represented New Jersey in the United States Senate. He was the Whig vice presidential nominee in the election of 1844, running on a ticket with Henry Clay.
Bo ...
. He served as President of the
Vermont
Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...
Whig Convention in 1847, which passed resolutions opposing the
Mexican–American War
The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico from 1846 to 1848. It followed the 1 ...
and the acquisition of territory by conquest, and in favor of the
Wilmot Proviso. Coolidge's anti-slavery views also included the idea of returning freed slaves to
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
as settlers, and he was active in both the
American Colonization Society and the Vermont Colonization Society.
Coolidge served two terms as
Governor of Vermont from October 1, 1848, to October 11, 1850. During his tenure, a
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
and
Circuit Court System was established. He received an honorary
LL.D. degree from
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...
in 1849.
After serving as Governor Coolidge returned to his law practice in Windsor. He became a
Republican when the party was founded in the 1850s, and served in the Vermont State Senate from 1853 to 1857, after which he again returned to his law practice.
Death
Coolidge died in
Windsor, Vermont, on August 15, 1866, and is interred in Windsor's Old South Church Cemetery. He was a distant relative of
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a History of the Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer ...
.
References
External links
The Political GraveyardHistory of Windsor County, Vermont*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coolidge, Carlos
1792 births
1866 deaths
People from Windsor, Vermont
Middlebury College alumni
Vermont lawyers
State's attorneys in Vermont
Vermont Whigs
Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives
Governors of Vermont
Speakers of the Vermont House of Representatives
Vermont state senators
Presidents pro tempore of the Vermont Senate
Burials in Vermont
Whig Party state governors of the United States
19th-century American politicians
Coolidge family
19th-century American lawyers