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No nation ever had an army large enough to guarantee it against attack in time of peace, or ensure it of victory in time of war. I have found it advisable not to give too much heed to what people say when I am trying to accomplish something of consequence. Invariably they proclaim it can't be done. I deem that the very best time to make the effort. Prosperity is only an instrument to be used, not a deity to be worshipped. Men speak of natural rights, but I challenge any one to show where in nature any rights existed or were recognized until there was established for their declaration and protection a duly promulgated body of corresponding laws. If I had permitted my failures, or what seemed to me at the time a lack of success, to discourage me I cannot see any way in which I would ever have made progress. Little progress can be made by merely attempting to repress what is evil. Our great hope lies in developing what is good. There is no force so democratic as the force of an ideal. Never go out to meet trouble. If you just sit still, nine cases out of ten, someone will intercept it before it reaches you. It is only when men begin to worship that they begin to grow. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

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Calvin Coolidge BIOGRAPHICAL FACTS:

Synopsis

Calvin Coolidge was born in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, on July 4, 1872. Coolidge rose through the ranks of Massachusetts government as a Progressive Republican. Elected U.S. vice president in 1920, he became president following the death of Warren G. Harding in 1923. Coolidge, also known as "Silent Cal," chose not to seek a second term. He died in Northampton, Massachusetts, on January 5, 1933.

Early Life and Career

John Calvin Coolidge Jr. was born in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, on July 4, 1872. His father, John Coolidge, was a successful farmer who served in the Vermont House of Representatives and the Vermont Senate, as well as other local offices. Coolidge's mother died when he was 12 years old, and his teenage sister, Abigail Grace Coolidge, died several years later.

Coolidge’s earliest American ancestor, John Coolidge, emigrated from England around 1630, settling in Massachusetts. Coolidge's great-great-grandfather, also named John Coolidge, was an officer in the Revolutionary War.

Vice Presidency and Presidency

After 10 ballots, Republican delegates settled on Senator Warren G. Harding of Ohio as their presidential nominee in 1920, and Coolidge was nominated as vice president. Harding and Coolidge beat opponents James M. Cox and Franklin D. Roosevelt in a landslide, taking every state outside of the South.

Coolidge was the first vice president to attend cabinet meetings, in addition to giving speeches and performing other official duties. The Coolidges attended Washington parties, where guests remarked on the terse and quiet demeanor of "Silent Cal.”

On August 2, 1923, President Harding died while traveling in California. Coolidge was in Vermont visiting his family home, which had neither electricity nor a telephone, when a messenger brought word of Harding’s death.

Policies

During Coolidge's presidency, the United States experienced the period of rapid economic growth that characterized the "Roaring Twenties." With the exception of favoring tariffs, Coolidge disdained regulation. Some contemporaries and historians have blamed his laissez-faire ideology for the Great Depression. Coolidge was also suspicious of foreign alliances, discouraging American membership in the League of Nations. Like Harding, Coolidge refused to recognize the Soviet Union.

Coolidge spoke out in favor of civil rights. He refused to appoint any known members of the Ku Klux Klan to office, appointed African Americans to government positions and advocated for anti-lynching laws. In 1924, Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act, granting full citizenship to all Native Americans while permitting them to retain tribal land rights.

Calvin Coolidge SENATE CAREER:

The Washington Senators only had 6 winning seasons in their first 23 years in the American League, but the summer of 1924 would be different thanks to some presidential good fortune.

Calvin Coolidge threw out the first pitch on opening day and lent the Senators some of his trademark "Coolidge Luck." Washington stormed to the World Series and faced the New York Giants in an epic Game 7.

As the President and First Lady looked on, Walter Johnson pitched the Senators to victory. The winning run scored on a grounder to third that took a mysterious hop and went into left field. Coolidge Luck had struck again!

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