John Calvin Coolidge (September 7, 1906 – May 31, 2000)
was an American executive, businessman, and entrepreneur with the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
,
and the first son of
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
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 ...
and
Grace Coolidge
Grace may refer to:
Places United States
* Grace, Idaho, a city
* Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois
* Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office
* Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...
.
Early life
John Coolidge was born in
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571.
Northampton is known as an acade ...
, on September 7, 1906. He was the elder of the two children 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 ...
(1872–1933), the 30th
President of the United States
The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...
from 1923 to 1929 and
Grace Anna Goodhue (1879–1957),
First Lady of the United States
The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...
from 1923 to 1929. In his autobiography, Calvin Coolidge recorded his impressions of the birth of his first son: "The fragrance of the
clematis
''Clematis'' is a genus of about 300 species within the buttercup family, Ranunculaceae. Their garden hybrids have been popular among gardeners, beginning with ''Clematis'' × ''jackmanii'', a garden standby since 1862; more hybrid cultivars ...
which covered the bay window filled the room like a benediction where the mother lay with her baby. It was all very wonderful to us."
[Coolidge, p. 95] On July 7, 1924, his younger brother, Calvin Jr., died from
blood poisoning
Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...
. John rarely spoke of the tragedy beyond acknowledging the terrible sadness it caused the family, especially his father.
[On the afternoon of June 30, 1924, John was playing tennis with his brother, Calvin Jr., on the White House grounds when Calvin Jr. suffered a blister on his right foot because he wore his tennis shoes without socks. The blister became infected and progressed into blood poisoning, resulting in his death a week later. John described the loss of his brother as producing a depression in President Coolidge that lasted the rest of his life. As John told ''Life'' magazine in 1992: "Though father was tenderhearted, he rarely showed his feelings. But when they were taking my brother's casket from the White House after the services, my father broke down and wept momentarily. Calvin was my father's favorite. It hurt him terribly. It hurt us all."]
Coolidge attended
Mercersburg Academy
Mercersburg Academy (formerly Marshall College and Mercersburg College) is an independent selective college-preparatory boarding & day high school in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania in the United States. Founded in 1893, the school enrolls approximat ...
in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania and graduated in 1924. He then enrolled at
Amherst College
Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...
, his father's alma mater, graduating in 1928, graduating from both schools while his father was President of the United States.
Career
He was an executive with the
New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad
The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...
. He served as president of the Connecticut Manifold Forms Company until 1960, when he reopened the Plymouth Cheese Corporation
in
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
at the historic village. He helped start the Coolidge Foundation and his gifts of buildings, land, and artifacts were instrumental in creating the
President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site.
Well into his 80s, Coolidge was seen shuttling back and forth from his home near the Calvin Coolidge Historical Site to collect his mail at the old post office located on the historic site. He was reportedly a charming and excited talker who would still answer visitors' questions about his father or his family, and who would, on occasion, give a rare personal interview.
Personal life
On September 23, 1929, at
Plainville, Connecticut
Plainville is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 17,525 at the 2020 census.
History
Plainville first was inhabited by Europeans around 1650. By the 1660s, the land was incorporated as land for nearby Farm ...
, he married Florence Trumbull.
She was born on November 30, 1904, at Plainville, Connecticut, the daughter of Connecticut governor
John H. Trumbull
John Harper Trumbull (March 4, 1873 – May 21, 1961) was an American politician who served as the 70th Governor of Connecticut.
Early life
Trumbull was born in Ashford, Connecticut son of Hugh Homer Trumbull (1847–1922) and Mary Ann (Harper ...
and Maud Pierce Usher. The Coolidges had two daughters:
*Cynthia Coolidge Jeter (October 28, 1933 – January 23, 1989)
[Feldman, p. 100]
*Lydia Coolidge Sayles (August 14, 1939 – March 2, 2001)
Florence died on February 15, 1998, at Plymouth Notch, Vermont, and Coolidge died on May 31, 2000, at
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
,
Grafton County, New Hampshire
Grafton County is a county in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. As of the 2020 census, the population was 91,118. Its county seat is North Haverhill, a village within the town of Haverhill. Until 1972, the county courthouse and other offices ...
.
He is buried beside his wife, parents, brother, and several generations of the Coolidge family in the Plymouth Notch Cemetery at Plymouth,
Windsor County, Vermont
Windsor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 57,753. The shire town (county seat) is the town of Woodstock. The county's largest municipality is the town of Hartford.
History
Wind ...
.
Ancestry and family relations
Coolidge's family had deep roots in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. His earliest American ancestor, John Coolidge, emigrated from
Cottenham
Cottenham is a village in Cambridgeshire, England. Cottenham is one of the larger villages surrounding the city of Cambridge, located around five miles north of the city. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 6095. Cottenham ...
, Cambridgeshire, England, around 1630 and settled in
Watertown, Massachusetts
Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Square, and the West End.
Watertown ...
. Coolidge is also descended as follows from
Edmund Rice
Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector".
Persons named Edmund include:
People Kings an ...
, who arrived at Watertown in 1638 and settled in
Sudbury, Massachusetts
Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,934. The town, located in Greater Boston's MetroWest region, has a rich colonial history.
History
Incorporated in 1639, the bou ...
:
[Edmund Rice (1638) Association, 2007. Descendants of Edmund Rice: The First Nine Generations. (CD-ROM)]
* John Coolidge, son of
**
John Calvin Coolidge Jr. (1872–1933), son of
***
John Calvin Coolidge Sr.
John Calvin Coolidge Sr. (March 31, 1845 – March 18, 1926) was an American politician and businessman from Vermont, and the father of Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the United States. The senior Coolidge administered the presiden ...
(1845–1926), son of
**** Sarah Almeda Brewer (–1???), daughter of
***** Israel Chase "C." Brewer (1797–?), son of
****** Sarah "Sally" Rice (1750–1???), daughter of
******* Bezaleel Rice Jr. (1721–1806), son of
******** Bezaleel Rice Sr. (1697–?), son of
********* David Rice (1659–1723), son of
********** Henry Rice (1617–1711),
son of
***********
Edmund Rice
Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector".
Persons named Edmund include:
People Kings an ...
(1594–1663)
He is also a descendant (on his mother's side) of Richard Warren, who arrived at Plymouth in November 1620 aboard the ''
Mayflower
''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...
''. Richard Warren was also the 12th signer of the
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact, originally titled Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth, was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the men aboard the ''Mayflower,'' consisting of separatist Puritans, adventurers, an ...
.
Explanatory notes
Citations
Works cited
*
* Feldman, Ruth Tenzer. ''Calvin Coolidge Presidential leaders''; Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books, 2006 .
External links
National Park Service site on the Coolidge HomesteadPresident Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site– official website
Connecticut State Library
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coolidge, John
1906 births
2000 deaths
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American politicians
American people of English descent
Amherst College alumni
Burials in Vermont
Businesspeople from Connecticut
Businesspeople from Vermont
Children of presidents of the United States
Children of vice presidents of the United States
Coolidge family
Massachusetts Republicans
Mercersburg Academy alumni
People from Northampton, Massachusetts
People from Plymouth, Vermont
Vermont Republicans