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Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge: Authorized, Expanded, and Annotated Edition
"It was my hope to produce a book that would not only have some historical interest, but would be useful for those in public life, in educational work, in preparation for citizenship, and would be especially a book that parents would wish their children to read." —President Calvin Coolidge on his autobiography Today Americans of all backgrounds are on the hunt for a different political model. In fact, such a model awaits them, if only they turn their eyes to their own past . . . to America's thirtieth president, Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge's masterful autobiography offers urgent lessons for our age of exploding debt, increasingly centralized power, and fierce partisan division. This expanded and annotated volume, edited by Coolidge biographer Amity Shlaes and authorized by the Coolidge family, is the definitive edition of the text that presidential historian Craig Fehrman calls "the forgotten classic of presidential writing." To read this volume is to understand the tragic extent to which historians underrate President Coolidge. The Coolidge who emerges in these pages is a model of character, principle, and humility—rare qualities in Washington, then as now. A man of great faith, Coolidge told "Men do not make laws. They do but discover them." Although he emphasized economics, Coolidge insisted on the importance of "things of the spirit." At the height of his popularity, he chose not to run again when his reelection was all but assured. In this autobiography, Coolidge explains his "It is a great advantage to a President, and a major source of safety to the country, for him to know that he is not a great man." For all his modesty, Coolidge left an expansive legacy—one we would do well to study today. Shlaes and coeditor Matthew Denhart draw out the lessons from Coolidge's life and career in an enlightening introduction and annotations to Coolidge's text. To aid Coolidge scholars young and old, the editors have also assembled nearly three dozen photographs, several of Coolidge's greatest speeches, a timeline of Coolidge's life, and afterwords by former Vermont governor James H. Douglas and two of Coolidge's great-grandchildren, Jennifer Coolidge Harville and Christopher Coolidge Jeter. This autobiography combats the myths about one of our most misunderstood presidents. It also shows us how much we still have to learn from Calvin Coolidge.
287 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1929
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About the author
Calvin Coolidge
123 books59 followersJohn Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the thirtieth President of the United States (1923–1929). A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state. His actions during the Boston Police Strike of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight. Soon after, he was elected as the twenty-ninth Vice President in 1920 and succeeded to the Presidency upon the death of Warren G. Harding. Elected in his own right in 1924, he gained a reputation as a small-government conservative.
In many ways Coolidge's style of governance was a throwback to the passive presidency of the nineteenth century. He restored public confidence in the White House after the scandals of his predecessor's administration, and left office with considerable popularity. As his biographer later put it, "he embodied the spirit and hopes of the middle class, could interpret their longings and express their opinions. That he did represent the genius of the average is the most convincing proof of his strength."
Many later criticized Coolidge as part of a general criticism of laissez-faire government. His reputation underwent a renaissance during the Reagan administration, but the ultimate assessment of his presidency is still divided between those who approve of his reduction of the size of government and those who believe the federal government should be more involved in regulating the economy.
In many ways Coolidge's style of governance was a throwback to the passive presidency of the nineteenth century. He restored public confidence in the White House after the scandals of his predecessor's administration, and left office with considerable popularity. As his biographer later put it, "he embodied the spirit and hopes of the middle class, could interpret their longings and express their opinions. That he did represent the genius of the average is the most convincing proof of his strength."
Many later criticized Coolidge as part of a general criticism of laissez-faire government. His reputation underwent a renaissance during the Reagan administration, but the ultimate assessment of his presidency is still divided between those who approve of his reduction of the size of government and those who believe the federal government should be more involved in regulating the economy.
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August 10, 2015
I read this book after reading Amity Shlaes’s “Coolidge,” in part because Shlaes more than once refers to the “Autobiography.” While it is not an analytical work, rather a straightforward exposition by Coolidge of the facts of his life, it is an excellent complement to Shlaes’s longer (and also excellent) work. And as with that work, the “Autobiography” shows an America that is dead and gone, but one that contained within itself multitudes of virtues.
Coolidge had a well-deserved reputation for being a careful wordsmith, creating plain speech with great impact. This book exemplifies that wordsmithing. But if you’re looking for Coolidge’s inner thoughts about the meaning of being Calvin Coolidge, you’re likely to be sorely disappointed. If you want a psychological self-analysis where he reflects on all his mental hobgoblins and who’s to blame for them, you will be even more disappointed. However, if you want Coolidge’s view on what and who was important in his life, along with a concrete philosophy consisting of a few well-chosen words and phrases, showing what drove him in life, you will be very satisfied.
Coolidge’s core value is industriousness, which as Charles Murray points out and discusses in “Coming Apart,” from the founding of the American colonies to 1960 or so was universally regarded in America as a, and probably the, core virtue required of any American. Of course, this seems somewhat strange nowadays, when industriousness has greatly declined and is regarded as first cousin to greed, and also as far subordinate as a virtue to the modern “virtues,” such as total sexual autonomy, loving oneself while living off the labor of others, and bemoaning supposed racial and sexual injustices. But for Coolidge, industriousness was the mark of, and requirement for, any respectable citizen.
So therefore Coolidge requires each person to do what he can with what he is given. “When we come into the world the gate of gifts is closed behind us. We can do nothing about it. So far as each individual is concerned all he can do is to take the abilities he has and make the most of them. His power over the past is gone . His power over the future depends on what he does with himself in the present. If he wishes to live and progress he must work.” Similarly, later, “Surprisingly few men are lacking in capacity, but they fail because they are lacking in application. Either they never learn how to work, or, having learned, they are too indolent to apply themselves with the seriousness and the attention that is necessary to solve important problems.” Such sentiments appear throughout the book, and Coolidge’s life itself exemplifies what can be done by a person who is industrious.
Coolidge also notes the importance of historical knowledge for education, by which he means real historical knowledge, starting with the Classical Age, not gender studies or what passes for “knowledge” in the modern America. As he says of his own historical studies, “They gave me a vision of the world when it was young and showed me how it grew. It seems to me that it is almost impossible for those who have not traveled that road to reach a very clear conception of what the world now means.” We see this today, when history teaching is essentially nonexistent—most people, including nearly 100% of our political leaders, are therefore unable to see, looking around them, what the world now means.
Coolidge also seems to have foreseen the Age of Obama. “I have tried to refrain [as President], from abusing other people. The words of the President have an enormous weight and ought not to be used indiscriminately. It would be exceedingly easy to set the country all by the ears and foment hatreds and jealousies, which, by destroying faith and confidence, would help nobody and harm everybody. The end would be the destruction of all progress.” A better summation of the Obama presidency and its effects would be hard to craft.
In one area, Coolidge does let slip his own thoughts. Poignantly, Coolidge says of the death of his son Calvin (at 16, while Coolidge was President), “In his suffering he was asking me to make him well. I could not. When he went the power and the glory of the Presidency went with him.” Given that Coolidge’s only sister died when he was in high school and his mother died when he was twelve, Coolidge doubtless had much internal sorrow. But he does not dwell on such things, and he is certainly not going to discuss it with the reader. It was not his way.
You can see why Coolidge is largely forgotten today. In many ways, that such an American was once President is a reproach to modern America, which in both its government and its people has neglected every single virtue that Coolidge regarded as essential. But perhaps everything old is new again, and someday a new Coolidge for a new time will bring similar wisdom to our country.
Coolidge had a well-deserved reputation for being a careful wordsmith, creating plain speech with great impact. This book exemplifies that wordsmithing. But if you’re looking for Coolidge’s inner thoughts about the meaning of being Calvin Coolidge, you’re likely to be sorely disappointed. If you want a psychological self-analysis where he reflects on all his mental hobgoblins and who’s to blame for them, you will be even more disappointed. However, if you want Coolidge’s view on what and who was important in his life, along with a concrete philosophy consisting of a few well-chosen words and phrases, showing what drove him in life, you will be very satisfied.
Coolidge’s core value is industriousness, which as Charles Murray points out and discusses in “Coming Apart,” from the founding of the American colonies to 1960 or so was universally regarded in America as a, and probably the, core virtue required of any American. Of course, this seems somewhat strange nowadays, when industriousness has greatly declined and is regarded as first cousin to greed, and also as far subordinate as a virtue to the modern “virtues,” such as total sexual autonomy, loving oneself while living off the labor of others, and bemoaning supposed racial and sexual injustices. But for Coolidge, industriousness was the mark of, and requirement for, any respectable citizen.
So therefore Coolidge requires each person to do what he can with what he is given. “When we come into the world the gate of gifts is closed behind us. We can do nothing about it. So far as each individual is concerned all he can do is to take the abilities he has and make the most of them. His power over the past is gone . His power over the future depends on what he does with himself in the present. If he wishes to live and progress he must work.” Similarly, later, “Surprisingly few men are lacking in capacity, but they fail because they are lacking in application. Either they never learn how to work, or, having learned, they are too indolent to apply themselves with the seriousness and the attention that is necessary to solve important problems.” Such sentiments appear throughout the book, and Coolidge’s life itself exemplifies what can be done by a person who is industrious.
Coolidge also notes the importance of historical knowledge for education, by which he means real historical knowledge, starting with the Classical Age, not gender studies or what passes for “knowledge” in the modern America. As he says of his own historical studies, “They gave me a vision of the world when it was young and showed me how it grew. It seems to me that it is almost impossible for those who have not traveled that road to reach a very clear conception of what the world now means.” We see this today, when history teaching is essentially nonexistent—most people, including nearly 100% of our political leaders, are therefore unable to see, looking around them, what the world now means.
Coolidge also seems to have foreseen the Age of Obama. “I have tried to refrain [as President], from abusing other people. The words of the President have an enormous weight and ought not to be used indiscriminately. It would be exceedingly easy to set the country all by the ears and foment hatreds and jealousies, which, by destroying faith and confidence, would help nobody and harm everybody. The end would be the destruction of all progress.” A better summation of the Obama presidency and its effects would be hard to craft.
In one area, Coolidge does let slip his own thoughts. Poignantly, Coolidge says of the death of his son Calvin (at 16, while Coolidge was President), “In his suffering he was asking me to make him well. I could not. When he went the power and the glory of the Presidency went with him.” Given that Coolidge’s only sister died when he was in high school and his mother died when he was twelve, Coolidge doubtless had much internal sorrow. But he does not dwell on such things, and he is certainly not going to discuss it with the reader. It was not his way.
You can see why Coolidge is largely forgotten today. In many ways, that such an American was once President is a reproach to modern America, which in both its government and its people has neglected every single virtue that Coolidge regarded as essential. But perhaps everything old is new again, and someday a new Coolidge for a new time will bring similar wisdom to our country.
January 30, 2022
Calvin Coolidge wrote,
“It is a great advantage to a President, and a major source of safety to the country, for him to know that he is not a great man. When a man begins to feel that he is the only one who can lead in this republic, he is guilty of treason to the spirit of our institutions.”
What a contrast to later Presidential bloviations! Short, and to the point. I happened to see the WSJ review of a recent reprint. That reviewer commented, re Barack Obama’s account of his time in the Oval Office, that he failed "to see how a man can write more than 700 pages and get no further than the third year of his presidency."
The WSJ's Barton Swaim concludes his review thusly: "Reticence, humility, economy of words: Calvin Coolidge’s disposition and career are shockingly contrary to anything recognizable in our politics. He was, despite his own view on the matter—and perhaps because of it—a great man."
The book holds up well, 93 years after it was written. I particularly enjoyed Coolidge's account of his early life, growing up on a Vermont form, going to school in New England, studying law as an apprentice to a lawyer in western Massachusetts: all in the closing years of the 19th century. When he starts getting into local and state politics, I started skimming, and returned to reading when he became President in 1923, following Pres. Harding's sudden death. Coolidge declined to run for reelection to a second full term in 1928. He died in early 1933 at age 60, of a heart attack. He made a wise choice to quit when he did!
My rating: a solid 3 stars. I skimmed those parts less interesting to me. You can get a good feel for the book, and for his writing style, from the quotes here: https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes...
“It is a great advantage to a President, and a major source of safety to the country, for him to know that he is not a great man. When a man begins to feel that he is the only one who can lead in this republic, he is guilty of treason to the spirit of our institutions.”
What a contrast to later Presidential bloviations! Short, and to the point. I happened to see the WSJ review of a recent reprint. That reviewer commented, re Barack Obama’s account of his time in the Oval Office, that he failed "to see how a man can write more than 700 pages and get no further than the third year of his presidency."
The WSJ's Barton Swaim concludes his review thusly: "Reticence, humility, economy of words: Calvin Coolidge’s disposition and career are shockingly contrary to anything recognizable in our politics. He was, despite his own view on the matter—and perhaps because of it—a great man."
The book holds up well, 93 years after it was written. I particularly enjoyed Coolidge's account of his early life, growing up on a Vermont form, going to school in New England, studying law as an apprentice to a lawyer in western Massachusetts: all in the closing years of the 19th century. When he starts getting into local and state politics, I started skimming, and returned to reading when he became President in 1923, following Pres. Harding's sudden death. Coolidge declined to run for reelection to a second full term in 1928. He died in early 1933 at age 60, of a heart attack. He made a wise choice to quit when he did!
My rating: a solid 3 stars. I skimmed those parts less interesting to me. You can get a good feel for the book, and for his writing style, from the quotes here: https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes...
August 3, 2011
Very enlightening glimpse into the life of an often ignored president. I really enjoyed how he innocently incorporated his religious beliefs into all that he did. He didn't even know that "he wasn't supposed to do that" (at least by today's flawed standards), let alone quote scripture to make his point. Now Coolidge wasn't perfect, but he was very principled and wise. He served during a time where transportation was very slow, speeches weren't written for him, and everything was done using technology of the 1920's. He humbly refused to run for reelection after serving 6 years (he was VP when Harding died in office) even though he was a sure bet to win. He worked hard and believed that everyone should work hard. He had a clear wisdom regarding debt that we should adhere to today. Don't get into debt, yet if there is a national emergency, pay off the debt as soon as possible.
This book will accompany well, the biography called Calvin Coolidge by David Greenberg.
This book will accompany well, the biography called Calvin Coolidge by David Greenberg.
December 4, 2024
I read this for a scholarship and was NOT expecting to love it as much as I did--I think I have a new favorite president! Coolidge is a role model for me in his humble leadership, incredible work ethic, and strong faith. No way these required essays are the last time I'll be quoting his speeches.
November 15, 2022
"Any man who has been placed in the White House can not feel that it is the result of his own exertions or his own merit. Some power outside and beyond him becomes manifest through him. As he contemplates the workings of his office, he comes to realize with an increasing sense of humility that he is but an instrument in the hands of God." - Coolidge
This book was so interesting. It's amazing that someone (especially a famous person) could write their autobiography in under 200 words! What an amazingly humble man and a great writer. Succinct, poignant, and fascinating. So glad to have named our son after such an outstanding man!
This book was so interesting. It's amazing that someone (especially a famous person) could write their autobiography in under 200 words! What an amazingly humble man and a great writer. Succinct, poignant, and fascinating. So glad to have named our son after such an outstanding man!
June 30, 2010
What a great book this is. A real study in character and humble beginnings. Coolidge was one of our lesser known presidents, but one who impressed me greatly with his emphasis on high values.
I maintain an extensive website of President Coolidge, www.CalvinCoolidge.us, as a source of character and values and presidency education. I also wrote a play called "Cal - The Character, Wit and Wisdom of Calvin Coolidge" and portrayed Coolidge twice in a one man show.
I maintain an extensive website of President Coolidge, www.CalvinCoolidge.us, as a source of character and values and presidency education. I also wrote a play called "Cal - The Character, Wit and Wisdom of Calvin Coolidge" and portrayed Coolidge twice in a one man show.
October 13, 2021
Coolidge said, "While I felt qualified to serve, I was well aware that there many others who were better qualified. It would be my province to get the benefit of their opinions and advice. It is a great advantage to a President, and a major source of safety to the country, for him to know that he is not a great man. When a man begins to feel that he is the only one who can lead in this republic, he is guilty of treason to the spirit of our institutions."
What a breath of fresh air compared to the self-proclaimed "demi-gods" of our late 20th century and early 21st-century presidency!
What a breath of fresh air compared to the self-proclaimed "demi-gods" of our late 20th century and early 21st-century presidency!
April 14, 2022
Excellent! Short, but packed a powerful punch. Made me sad for a type of politician that once was and a type of government that could have been.
July 12, 2021
Review:
This book just wasn't for me, therefore I couldn't appreciate it very much. I was given this book so I could learn more about American history, but this is not what I want to read when it comes to that. I am not interested in politics or the presidency so my mind would often wander while trying to understand the book.
It seemed as if the author was disconnected from the story he wrote, and it seemed there was no emotion behind the words. I would have enjoyed it better if there was something that I could relate to, however, I have never been president and I can't relate to this on an emotional level considering there were no emotions.
Rating: 2 stars
This book just wasn't for me, therefore I couldn't appreciate it very much. I was given this book so I could learn more about American history, but this is not what I want to read when it comes to that. I am not interested in politics or the presidency so my mind would often wander while trying to understand the book.
It seemed as if the author was disconnected from the story he wrote, and it seemed there was no emotion behind the words. I would have enjoyed it better if there was something that I could relate to, however, I have never been president and I can't relate to this on an emotional level considering there were no emotions.
Rating: 2 stars
February 22, 2023
The autobiography of Calvin Coolidge by Calvin Coolidge isn’t what you would expect from a former president writing about their life. The 246 page book follows his life from his childhood, to school, to practicing law, to somehow gaining popularity and public offices, to becoming president of the United States. He is exceedingly humble throughout, just a guy with strong core values who people happened to like because he always tried to do his best and put people first. At Amherst college his philosophy class left a significant impact on him. He was taught to always seek the truth no matter the implications or what others might think, and this class led as a strong moral compass for him as he went through his public service career. His father was a key component in his local government in Plymouth, Vermont, and throughout his childhood he saw the hard work the people had to put into paying for taxes. He strongly believed that the highest dignity for someone is to work hard, and to receive the money they have worked for, no matter how small or large. He saw the essential function of the government in his hometown, and then believed that it was a form of larceny for the government to take away what the people have earned to a higher amount that is necessary to protect them. In his 1925 Inaugural Address he said, “The men and women of this country who toil are the ones who bear the cost of the Government. Every dollar that we carelessly waste means that their life will be so much the more meager. Every dollar that we prudently save means that their life will be so much the more abundant. Economy is idealism in its most practical form.” Although many may not agree with a lot of his ideas, I think a lot can be learnt from reading his autobiography and some of his speeches. His optimism in the human race and our ability to govern ourselves is refreshing, and I especially admired his toleration for opposing views, and his advocacy for empathy. He had learned to always seek the truth, and I especially liked this quote that exemplified how I want to challenge my own mind: “It is the ferment of ideas, the clash of disagreeing judgments, the privilege of the individual to develop his own thoughts and shape his own character, that makes progress possible. It is not possible to learn much from those who uniformly agree with us. But many useful things are learned from those who disagree with us; and even when we can gain nothing our differences are likely to do us no harm.”
Coolidge was Governor of Massachusetts from 1919-1921,Vice President from 1921-1923, and President from 1923-1929. He was in office after World War One, and spoke a lot about recovering the U.S. after that huge conflict, and creating an attitude of toleration in the minds of the people. This quote exemplifies how he wanted to move the United States on after the conflict: “The generally expressed desire of “America first” can not be criticized. It is a perfectly correct aspiration for our people to cherish. But the problem which we have to solve is how to make America first. It can not be done by the cultivation of national bigotry, arrogance, or selfishness. Hatreds, jealousies, and suspicions will not be productive of any benefits in this direction. Here again we must apply the rule of toleration. Because there are other peoples whose ways are not our ways, and whose thoughts are not our thoughts, we are not warranted in drawing the conclusion that they are adding nothing to the sum of civilization…. But before we come to the final and irrevocable decision that we are better than everybody else we need to consider what we might do if we had their provocations and their difficulties. We are not likely to improve our own condition or help humanity very much until we come to the sympathetic understanding that human nature is about the same everywhere, that it is rather evenly distributed over the surface of the earth, and that we are all united in a common brotherhood.”
I know a lot of people wanted to learn more about the presidency and what happened behind the scenes, but I cannot say that I was disappointed in this part. He spoke about the overwhelming responsibility and burden of being president, and I think that is partly why he did not run for a second term. Likewise, there were so many things that would have happened during his presidency that he could not possibly write about them all. He instead wrote about the general feeling of being president, the responsibilities and relationships with others, as well as the importance of formalities and other traditions in the office. I learned a lot from this book, and I believe others could too. I also found it interesting to compare to modern politics, and it perhaps simplified the meaning of government. He was an interesting and sympathetic character to follow, and I never felt as if he were bragging about his accomplishments, but rather earnestly trying his best to uphold what he thought the people needed.
Coolidge was Governor of Massachusetts from 1919-1921,Vice President from 1921-1923, and President from 1923-1929. He was in office after World War One, and spoke a lot about recovering the U.S. after that huge conflict, and creating an attitude of toleration in the minds of the people. This quote exemplifies how he wanted to move the United States on after the conflict: “The generally expressed desire of “America first” can not be criticized. It is a perfectly correct aspiration for our people to cherish. But the problem which we have to solve is how to make America first. It can not be done by the cultivation of national bigotry, arrogance, or selfishness. Hatreds, jealousies, and suspicions will not be productive of any benefits in this direction. Here again we must apply the rule of toleration. Because there are other peoples whose ways are not our ways, and whose thoughts are not our thoughts, we are not warranted in drawing the conclusion that they are adding nothing to the sum of civilization…. But before we come to the final and irrevocable decision that we are better than everybody else we need to consider what we might do if we had their provocations and their difficulties. We are not likely to improve our own condition or help humanity very much until we come to the sympathetic understanding that human nature is about the same everywhere, that it is rather evenly distributed over the surface of the earth, and that we are all united in a common brotherhood.”
I know a lot of people wanted to learn more about the presidency and what happened behind the scenes, but I cannot say that I was disappointed in this part. He spoke about the overwhelming responsibility and burden of being president, and I think that is partly why he did not run for a second term. Likewise, there were so many things that would have happened during his presidency that he could not possibly write about them all. He instead wrote about the general feeling of being president, the responsibilities and relationships with others, as well as the importance of formalities and other traditions in the office. I learned a lot from this book, and I believe others could too. I also found it interesting to compare to modern politics, and it perhaps simplified the meaning of government. He was an interesting and sympathetic character to follow, and I never felt as if he were bragging about his accomplishments, but rather earnestly trying his best to uphold what he thought the people needed.
February 5, 2015
I have been an admirer of Calvin Coolidge (as was President Reagan) for several years, and have not found anything negative to say about him. (No, poor schoolchildren, not that he took so many naps during his presidency. The excessive sleep wasn't due to laziness or any other failing, you know--there was a valid and understandable reason.)
So it pains me to say that I was disappointed by his autobiography. I think it just wasn't in his nature to speak candidly about any of his personal or interpersonal matters. And he discusses various events or times in his life but doesn't really have anything special to say about them (such as the duties and daily life of the POTUS, which he describes at length, and how he was nominated to be Warren Harding's vice-president), and probably mentions them only because he feels obligated to.
Worse, Coolidge has relatively little to say even about certain issues and events in his life and career that biographers later deemed very significant. His accounts of his youth, college education, work as a country lawyer, and career as a civic service-minded local politician in Massachusetts generally follow a pattern of "this happened, then that happened, then I did this, then I did that; this happened, and I did this in response," and sometimes the descriptions of events are so abstracted and so perfunctory that discussing them was almost pointless.
The account of Coolidge's career as a Massachusetts state legislator and then governor is interesting enough, but I picked up only a few new and/or unexpected details.
One concerns how Coolidge handled the Boston Police Strike of 1919. His famous statement "There is no right to strike against the public safety, by any body, any time, any where" apparently was not said in any public address, but written in a letter replying to AFL leader Samuel Gompers, who had telegraphed Coolidge to request that Coolidge fire the Boston police commissioner and reinstate the police officers who had been fired for illegally attempting to form an AFL-affiliated union. (According to Massachusetts law, the governor--not the mayor of Boston--appointed the Boston police commissioner; and Coolidge states that the Boston police had all agreed not to form a collective bargaining union. That's why the strike was illegal.) The other is that as a state legislator, Coolidge was apparently considered something of a liberal by others in his own party.
The chapters on Coolidge's presidency are the real disappointment. This period of Coolidge's life and career is, of course, what anyone would be most interested in; but Coolidge is still so reserved that you don't learn anything you could learn from a later third-party biography.
Regarding what was probably the defining event of his presidency--the death of his younger son Calvin Jr.--he has at most a page of words. He manages to illuminate his reaction well enough, strongly hinting that Calvin Jr.'s death took away any pleasure he derived from being POTUS; but he says absolutely nothing to indicate any emotional suffering he went through afterward (even though Calvin Jr died in summer 1924, when Calvin Sr. was running for his own term as president, which means the death overshadowed his entire elected term in office).
The other thing I hoped to learn about which Coolidge does not mention at all is why he and his vice president, Charles Dawes, didn't get along. Other biographies explain the events well enough to make it clear that Dawes was the one at fault--he insulted Coolidge personally, refused to attend cabinet meetings, and insulted the entire United States Senate collectively. (Besides that, Coolidge stresses in this autobiography that he took pains to avoid making enemies, by refusing to insult people or hold grudges; so it's unlikely that he bears much fault for the feud with Dawes.) But they never explain what Dawes's problem was, and even if they did, I would still want to know Coolidge's viewpoint. So I am disappointed that he completely passed the issue over, not even mentioning his vice-president by name. I suppose Coolidge avoided discussing Dawes simply because he had nothing good to say about him and believed in the rule 'if you can't say anything nice, say nothing.'
So it pains me to say that I was disappointed by his autobiography. I think it just wasn't in his nature to speak candidly about any of his personal or interpersonal matters. And he discusses various events or times in his life but doesn't really have anything special to say about them (such as the duties and daily life of the POTUS, which he describes at length, and how he was nominated to be Warren Harding's vice-president), and probably mentions them only because he feels obligated to.
Worse, Coolidge has relatively little to say even about certain issues and events in his life and career that biographers later deemed very significant. His accounts of his youth, college education, work as a country lawyer, and career as a civic service-minded local politician in Massachusetts generally follow a pattern of "this happened, then that happened, then I did this, then I did that; this happened, and I did this in response," and sometimes the descriptions of events are so abstracted and so perfunctory that discussing them was almost pointless.
The account of Coolidge's career as a Massachusetts state legislator and then governor is interesting enough, but I picked up only a few new and/or unexpected details.
One concerns how Coolidge handled the Boston Police Strike of 1919. His famous statement "There is no right to strike against the public safety, by any body, any time, any where" apparently was not said in any public address, but written in a letter replying to AFL leader Samuel Gompers, who had telegraphed Coolidge to request that Coolidge fire the Boston police commissioner and reinstate the police officers who had been fired for illegally attempting to form an AFL-affiliated union. (According to Massachusetts law, the governor--not the mayor of Boston--appointed the Boston police commissioner; and Coolidge states that the Boston police had all agreed not to form a collective bargaining union. That's why the strike was illegal.) The other is that as a state legislator, Coolidge was apparently considered something of a liberal by others in his own party.
The chapters on Coolidge's presidency are the real disappointment. This period of Coolidge's life and career is, of course, what anyone would be most interested in; but Coolidge is still so reserved that you don't learn anything you could learn from a later third-party biography.
Regarding what was probably the defining event of his presidency--the death of his younger son Calvin Jr.--he has at most a page of words. He manages to illuminate his reaction well enough, strongly hinting that Calvin Jr.'s death took away any pleasure he derived from being POTUS; but he says absolutely nothing to indicate any emotional suffering he went through afterward (even though Calvin Jr died in summer 1924, when Calvin Sr. was running for his own term as president, which means the death overshadowed his entire elected term in office).
The other thing I hoped to learn about which Coolidge does not mention at all is why he and his vice president, Charles Dawes, didn't get along. Other biographies explain the events well enough to make it clear that Dawes was the one at fault--he insulted Coolidge personally, refused to attend cabinet meetings, and insulted the entire United States Senate collectively. (Besides that, Coolidge stresses in this autobiography that he took pains to avoid making enemies, by refusing to insult people or hold grudges; so it's unlikely that he bears much fault for the feud with Dawes.) But they never explain what Dawes's problem was, and even if they did, I would still want to know Coolidge's viewpoint. So I am disappointed that he completely passed the issue over, not even mentioning his vice-president by name. I suppose Coolidge avoided discussing Dawes simply because he had nothing good to say about him and believed in the rule 'if you can't say anything nice, say nothing.'
July 30, 2022
Audible.com
This was too brief, but Calvin Coolidge wasn't a man who blew his own horn. There's so much good we can learn from reading autobiographies especially those of our Presidents, Coolidge is much over-looked and under-appreciated as a president. I'm so glad to find a personal life I can admire! If I can find the audio biography of Calvin Coolidge written by Amity Shlaes who annotated this book, I'm going to get it.
Goodreads author Bill Powers wrote a brief review on Oct 13, 2021.
This was too brief, but Calvin Coolidge wasn't a man who blew his own horn. There's so much good we can learn from reading autobiographies especially those of our Presidents, Coolidge is much over-looked and under-appreciated as a president. I'm so glad to find a personal life I can admire! If I can find the audio biography of Calvin Coolidge written by Amity Shlaes who annotated this book, I'm going to get it.
Goodreads author Bill Powers wrote a brief review on Oct 13, 2021.
January 6, 2020
I cannot believe the first book I finished this decade was the freaking autobiography of Calvin Coolidge
April 19, 2023
Wonderfully written, this autobiography is one I would read again. You can't always find a book that teaches you history as well as keeps you interested. Calvin Coolidge was a man of great character and a model in humility. He once said "Any man who has been placed in the White House cannot feel that it is the result of his own exertions or his own merit. Some power outside and beyond him becomes manifest through him. As he contemplates the workings of his office, he comes to realize with an increasing sense of humility that he is but an instrument in the hands of God." I would definitely recommend this book to those who wish to learn about the 30th president of the United States (as well as many other people from history along the way), have a view of what a president should be like, and ultimately to see from the past that the greatest men are those who trust in God.
December 14, 2024
A little detour from my usual fiction. Am I maturing?
It was written very well. Concise, free of the usual pompous verbiage when one writed about themselves. Learned a couple good lessons from it :)
It was written very well. Concise, free of the usual pompous verbiage when one writed about themselves. Learned a couple good lessons from it :)
January 6, 2024
Wow, my first book read in 2024. I did not think that this was going to be the first book I would finish in 2024. I am applying for the Coolidge Scholarship, and had to put aside my personal readings to read his autobiography. I must say, it was very interesting and wasn’t as dull as I inferred it would be. It was an easy read and Coolidge was a president that I hadn’t heard much about, but he seemed like a good man. He had good ideals and prospects for the people and it was neat to see what he thought of his whole journey to the presidency. Overall, good read for 2024, and I really hope that I receive the scholarship because I need it, pray for me.
February 16, 2025
Flew through this one. Coolidge's prose is almost comical in its simplicity, candor, and humility. Without diving too deep into the mudpit, it serves as a major contrast to our current political moment. Already predisposed to be fond of Coolidge, definitely increased his standing in my eyes. Seems like a lovely man. However there wasn't a tremendous amount of depth or substance to the book so I can't be too glowing.
December 4, 2013
I enjoyed this book. Calvin Coolidge has moved up in the top 5 presidents of all and found the book simple and refreshing.
January 17, 2024
Laugh all you want- but this wasn’t nearly as boring as I thought it would be!!
February 9, 2021
I bought this book after very randomly visiting Calvin's hometown (Plymouth Notch, VT; now a national monument) in October 2020, where stories of his thrift and plain-spokenness provided a refreshing contrast to trump. Reading it was interesting—Coolidge's account of his young years working on the family farm and attending town meetings with his father made me feel like I was mainlining the essence of Vermont. His time in college was equally interesting, namely in terms of how the lessons he and his peers half listened to (projecting a bit—he seemed like a very good student) went on to form the bedrock of his ethos for the rest of his life and political career, which gave me mingled pride and horror because as I grow older I feel the same things happening w/r/t my own outlook on life.
What I found fascinating was his time in politics (obviously lol). He was just slightly too junior to be of much consequence in WWI, and his term as president took place over the Roaring 20s, generally remembered as a time of peace. This makes the political part of his book an endless series of names and events that must have seemed -very- important at the time but now have little to no bearing on daily life. Obviously they do (woman's suffrage being a key achievement of his presidency), but watching the minutiae of his barely remembered but evidently very important political fights gave me lots of thoughts over how seriously or unseriously we take our current squabbles. Ashes to ashes, etc.
His strong centrism was also an interesting bone to pick. His childhood and young adulthood scenes left me rooting for him as a character, so it was very interesting to watch this young upstart develop the political philosophies his upbringing inspired—namely he strongly believed in people's ability to think and work for themselves, and thus was a strong proponent of keeping government operating within its means, which translated to no taxes and no regulations. This meant that while a lot of his book was spent promoting the role of labor within society, he also shat on a lot of the progressive causes those close to me hold dear (not in an outright Racist way, but he haaated any form of radicalism or government interventionism and took the Hard Work Breeds Success tack we hear about so much on Fox News today).
Clearly we have different ideas for the role of government in society, but still, something about his brevity spoke to me. Cal was a man of strong values without the anxious need to prove them. I think it's a bit refreshing in the endless chatter of our social media age to read the concise thoughts of a guy who would rather let his actions speak for themselves. Definitely a product of the Vermont winter farm life grind, but again a refreshing departure from the current heat level of our discourse. During his presidency he spent summers in Vermont helping out on the farm, which is wild.
This definitely is not the book if you want something cool and woke from the 20s (there was a whole Harlem Renaissance going on at the time that produced better stuff), but this was an anthropologically interesting read of the kind of person 1920s white people thought would be a good—and ultimately forgettable—president. In his exceedingly cautious (and in some lights, unimaginative) approach to the duties of the office you could find several strains of the emotions that went on to inform the small-government mindset today.
If nothing else, another smashing success from that hotshot publisher, the National Notaries Association. This is a great gift to give to your kinda conservative uncle, to be the one book he reads that year and then talks about ad nauseam for the rest of his life.
What I found fascinating was his time in politics (obviously lol). He was just slightly too junior to be of much consequence in WWI, and his term as president took place over the Roaring 20s, generally remembered as a time of peace. This makes the political part of his book an endless series of names and events that must have seemed -very- important at the time but now have little to no bearing on daily life. Obviously they do (woman's suffrage being a key achievement of his presidency), but watching the minutiae of his barely remembered but evidently very important political fights gave me lots of thoughts over how seriously or unseriously we take our current squabbles. Ashes to ashes, etc.
His strong centrism was also an interesting bone to pick. His childhood and young adulthood scenes left me rooting for him as a character, so it was very interesting to watch this young upstart develop the political philosophies his upbringing inspired—namely he strongly believed in people's ability to think and work for themselves, and thus was a strong proponent of keeping government operating within its means, which translated to no taxes and no regulations. This meant that while a lot of his book was spent promoting the role of labor within society, he also shat on a lot of the progressive causes those close to me hold dear (not in an outright Racist way, but he haaated any form of radicalism or government interventionism and took the Hard Work Breeds Success tack we hear about so much on Fox News today).
Clearly we have different ideas for the role of government in society, but still, something about his brevity spoke to me. Cal was a man of strong values without the anxious need to prove them. I think it's a bit refreshing in the endless chatter of our social media age to read the concise thoughts of a guy who would rather let his actions speak for themselves. Definitely a product of the Vermont winter farm life grind, but again a refreshing departure from the current heat level of our discourse. During his presidency he spent summers in Vermont helping out on the farm, which is wild.
This definitely is not the book if you want something cool and woke from the 20s (there was a whole Harlem Renaissance going on at the time that produced better stuff), but this was an anthropologically interesting read of the kind of person 1920s white people thought would be a good—and ultimately forgettable—president. In his exceedingly cautious (and in some lights, unimaginative) approach to the duties of the office you could find several strains of the emotions that went on to inform the small-government mindset today.
If nothing else, another smashing success from that hotshot publisher, the National Notaries Association. This is a great gift to give to your kinda conservative uncle, to be the one book he reads that year and then talks about ad nauseam for the rest of his life.
August 1, 2020
Highly recommended! Calvin Coolidge writes about his childhood in Vermont, his early adult life in western Massachusetts, and about his rise from Northampton mayor to Governor of Massachusetts to Vice President (and then, with the death of President Harding in 1923, the President). An insightful, honest, and sober look at the weight of the Presidential office. At just barely 120 pages, it is a quick read! I was sad for this one to be over.
February 4, 2021
Very good book. Written just a couple years before Coolidge's passing. Certainly the book tells of a far simpler time, when men were more drawn as patriots to their country, and I'm guessing were still called "public servants " where it had meaning. Coolidge was a good President, and this book taught me insight about him that I never knew.
October 6, 2023
Note: Read for a Government class that I'm helping to teach. This is not something I would have picked up for a joy read.
Pretty dry for my taste, but it had some interesting tidbits in there. I knew next to nothing about Coolidge. Now I know a little more.
Pretty dry for my taste, but it had some interesting tidbits in there. I knew next to nothing about Coolidge. Now I know a little more.
August 26, 2023
This book was excellent because President Coolidge wrote it himself. A hardworking , earnest and thoughtful man who served the nation with dignity, integrity and honor.
January 4, 2024
i just could not stop myself from falling asleep the entire time 🙈
August 1, 2025
Coolidge 2028!
July 4, 2021
A remarkable book that tells the story of a remarkable American. Coolidge's steady focus on accomplishing tasks through persistence and hard work and his interest in keeping up the way of life of his forefathers is particularly notable. So is the vast difference between his upbringing and that of kids today--he's nearly describing life in another country altogether.
May 8, 2022
It's always inspiring to read autobiographies of world leaders that are thoughtful and genuinely humble.
Chapters 6 and 7 were exceptionally enlightening and allows the reader to sift the mind of the most powerful man of the world. The portion where he explains why he chooses not to run for second term, although victory was all but guaranteed, was very humbling.
Chapters 6 and 7 were exceptionally enlightening and allows the reader to sift the mind of the most powerful man of the world. The portion where he explains why he chooses not to run for second term, although victory was all but guaranteed, was very humbling.
April 28, 2020
This autobiography portrays Coolidge as humble, wholesome and the consummate public servant. Interesting to read it in the current political climate of the US.
April 30, 2022
Perhaps our best president.
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