Coolidge Administrations - Introduction

Introduction

Calvin Coolidge grew up in a small, rural community in Vermont in the late nineteenth century. He embodied all of the traits that are associated with rural New England life: independence, frugality, integrity, and personal reserve. Combined with these characteristics was a wry sense of humor that not everyone appreciated. Coolidge acquired from his father an interest in public affairs and devoted most of his adult life to politics. It was an odd choice for a man who was as shy and private as Coolidge and who over the course of his life had few close friends. Despite these apparent handicaps, Coolidge was remarkably successful in politics at the local, state, and national levels.