Presidential Biographies | Coolidge Administrations - Early Life

Early Life

Calvin Coolidge was the oldest child of John Calvin Coolidge and Victoria Josephine Moor. He was born in the back room of his father's general store in the small village of Plymouth Notch, Vermont, on July 4, 1872. His only sibling, Abigail Coolidge, was born three years later but died in 1890 at the age of 15. Coolidge's father was a hardworking, thrifty man who prospered as a shopkeeper and farmer. He also held several local governmental positions, and served several terms in the Vermont House of Representatives and one term in the state Senate. Coolidge had a close relationship with his parents. His mother died in 1885 when Coolidge was only 12 years old. It was a blow that was to remain with him throughout his life.

As a boy, Coolidge was shy and sensitive. When his parents called him to the kitchen of their family home to greet friends, he would enter the room only with great difficulty. It was a problem he...