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

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 Graveyard

History 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