Presidents of the U.S.A: Calvin Coolidge Quiz

Answer: Plymouth Notch

Born John Calvin Coolidge Jr on July 4, 1872, Calvin Coolidge was born in a small building attached to his parents' general store. His parents were John Calvin Coolidge Sr. and Victoria Josephine Moor. Despite being named after his father, he was frequently addressed by his middle name, Calvin. His father not only owned a store, but was a successful farmer and local politician.

Plymouth Notch is a small town in Windsor County, Vermont.

Answer: Samuel Appleton

Samuel Appleton (1586-1670) was from the prominent Appleton family who had many influential descendants in politics, academia and business. He was Calvin Coolidge's 8th great-grandfather.

Samuel Appleton was an English immigrant who arrived in America aged 11 in 1635. He became the commander of the military of Massachusetts during King Philip's War (1675-1678), a war where he was promoted to captain due to his military prowess. In his autobiography, Calvin Coolidge describes his ancestors as "English puritan stock".

Answer: Amherst College

Calvin Coolidge was a committed student during his time at Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts, and these years would prove to be crucial for his personal growth and education. He graduated with honours in 1895. His time at the college would help him tackle his fear of public speaking and manage his previous shyness.

During his senior year at Amherst College, Coolidge wrote an essay entitled "The Principles Fought for in the American Revolution." This essay won first prize in a competition for all seniors of all American colleges.

Answer: Charles Edward Garman

Charles Edward Garman (1850-1907) was described by Calvin Coolidge as "A man who walked with God" in his autobiography. A professor of philosophy, Garman was instrumental in shaping Coolidge's political ideals, promoting self-sacrifice and serving others.

He did not use textbooks while teaching and strongly encouraged his students to come to their own conclusions rather than unconditionally accept his teachings.

Answer: Lawyer

Although he never attended law school, Calvin Coolidge was persuaded to embark on a career in law by his father after graduation. He was an apprentice at Hammond & Field in Northampton, Massachusetts, and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1897.

Calvin Coolidge soon earned a reputation as a hard working, reliable lawyer who preferred to settle cases out of court when possible, meaning he was also cost-effective. By 1898 he had opened his own law office. He was known for having low fees for his services, and became a popular lawyer for the poor. Coolidge wrote in his autobiography that one should only become an attorney out of "real and sincere love for the profession." He would practice law until 1916.

Answer: Grace Goodhue

Grace Goodhue (1879-1957) first noticed Calvin Coolidge through her window at his boarding house across the street, while he was shaving in his underwear. The sight made her laugh, which did not go unnoticed by Calvin who asked his landlord to introduce them.

Before her marriage to Calvin Coolidge, Grace worked as a teacher at the Clarke School for the Deaf in Northampton, Massachusetts. She was involved with the school for the rest of her life, serving on the board and even raising $2 million for it after she left the white house.

Calvin and Grace were frequently observed to have strongly contrasting personalities. During a three hour car journey with the couple, Grace's friend found out that Calvin's "Silent Cal" nickname was apt, commenting that if Grace could teach the deaf to hear, perhaps she could teach a "mute" such as Calvin to speak.

Answer: William McKinley

William McKinley (1843-1901) was the 25th president of the United States. He began his work in office in 1897 and served until he was assassinated in 1901.

The 1896 presidential election was the first time Calvin Coolidge had been old enough to vote, which held a personal significance for him. His campaigning for William McKinley would serve as his first brush with politics. He wrote an article in a local paper criticising the rival of the Republican William McKinley, the Democratic candidate, William Jennings Bryan.

Calvin Coolidge's campaigning for William McKinley earned him recognition within local Republican circles. Following this in 1897, Calvin Coolidge was chosen to be a member of the Republican City Committee in Northampton.

Answer: Boston Police Strike

The Boston Police Strike of 1919 occurred for a variety of reasons, including the poor sanitary conditions of police stations, the long hours (75-90 hours per week) that officers worked, the expectation for officers to pay for their own equipment and dissatisfaction with wages.

Over 1,100 officers went on strike on September 9, 1919, amounting to around 70% of the police workforce. This resulted in two nights of lawless activities in Boston such as rioting and violence, with Calvin Coolidge deciding to call in the National Guard to restore order. All striking police officers were fired. This effective and decisive action earned him respect as a man of law and order. He is quoted as saying "There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time."

Answer: Warren G. Harding

Calvin Coolidge was Vice President of the U.S.A between 1921-1923, serving under Warren G. Harding, who had won the election by a landslide.

Coolidge even chose frugality while acting as Vice President. Instead of renting an extravagant townhouse in Washington to match his high paying position, Coolidge decided to rent a two-bedroom suite for he and his wife at the the New Willard Hotel, costing only $8 per day. He even walked and took street cars around Washington as Vice President, believing that owning his own car was an unnecessary expense.

Answer: Cabinet meetings

Calvin Coolidge was included in Cabinet meetings regularly for several reasons, one being that President Warren G. Harding did not want the vice presidency role to remain strictly ceremonial, believing that the Vice President should act like a business partner instead. He also knew that Coolidge was highly efficient during his time as Governor of Massachusetts and was a skilled administrator.

Harding also remembered the crisis that unfolded for President Woodrow Wilson's vice president, after Wilson had a stroke and became incapacitated. Wilson's Vice President, Thomas R. Marshall, was wholly unprepared to take over the presidency as he had not been included in Wilson's meetings, nor told of important state secrets.

Answer: John Calvin Coolidge Sr

Upon Warren G. Harding's sudden death in 1923, a message reporting this was delivered to the Coolidge's family farm late at night on August 3, 1923, as the property had no electricity or telephones.

John Calvin Coolidge Sr, Calvin Coolidge's father, was a public notary. He swore his son in as U.S President, using the family bible under the light of a kerosene lamp.

Because there was debate about how legitimate a public notary swearing a president in actually was, Calvin Coolidge later swore a second presidential oath in front of a judge. This was kept secret for many years to preserve the unique and romantic story of him being sworn in by his father at the family home.

Answer: Address the nation on radio

Although Warren G. Harding became the first U.S President to have his voice transmitted via radio on May 30, 1922, Calvin Coolidge was the first U.S President to address the nation formally via radio, delivering his State of the Union address on December 6, 1923. This address, estimated to have been listened to live by 2.5 million Americans, was not without issues. Many listeners complaining of scratching noises regularly interrupting the broadcast. This turned out to be Coolidge rustling papers.

U.S Presidents had typically had booming, loud voices, utilised to ensure that everyone in the room could hear their speeches. Coolidge's calmer way of speaking worked well with radio, and he recognised this as an opportunity to reach the American public. Following his State of the Union speech, he hired a coach to give him "good radio manners".

Four days later on December 10, 1923, Coolidge took to radio again, broadcasting a tribute to the deceased Warren G. Harding. He did this from the White House's private study, making this the first radio broadcast to be transmitted to the public from the White House.

Answer: Racoon

Rebecca was a raccoon who had been sent to the White House by a supporter of Coolidge from Mississippi. Raccoon meat was not uncommon to eat at the time, and the supporter believed the Coolidge's would eat the raccoon, as opposed to adopt it as a pet. Both Calvin Coolidge and his wife were horrified at the idea of eating the raccoon, and had actually become attached to her. They named her Rebecca.

Rebecca had free reign of the White House, and Coolidge even gave her a collar that was engraved with "White House Raccoon". Fearing the raccoon would be lonely, it was arranged for a male raccoon to be brought to the White House, which the Coolidge's named Reuben. Rebecca and Reuben however, did not get on very well and Reuben escaped the White House, never to return.

Answer: Snyder Act

The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, also known as the Snyder Act, was legislation that granted all indigenous people born in America citizenship. The act was established partly in thanks for the military service that Native Americans gave during the First World War, with between 12,000-13,000 of them volunteering, despite not being official U.S citizens.

Although this act was met in general with praise by the Native Americans, some tribes (such as the Onondaga Nation) feared that the act would overpower their own treaties and laws. This fear was not unfounded, as previous laws had questionable routes for the Native Americans to achieve citizenship, including disavowing any tribal loyalties they had and accepting an allocated plot of land under the Dawes Act.

Answer: Great Mississippi Flood

The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was highly destructive and resulted in the creation of an inland sea around 75 miles (120 km) wide. Between 700,000-920,000 people were displaced and the flood affected seven U.S states. The flood caused around a $1 billion worth of damage, which was around a third of the entire U.S. federal budget in 1927.

Frugal even in crisis, Coolidge's response did not endear him to the American public. He felt that it was not the responsibility of the federal government to provide compensation for the victims of natural disasters. He also refused to visit those affected by the flood, explaining that his presence could create a media spectacle and give victims of the flood false hope that the government would compensate them for any loss of property.

The backlash to Coolidge's attitude was so strong that Congress later established the Flood Control Act of 1928, legislation which held the federal government responsible for the control of the Mississippi River, which Coolidge begrudgingly signed.

Answer: Charles G. Dawes

Charles G. Dawes (1865-1951) served as Vice President of the U.S.A under Calvin Coolidge from 1925-1929. There was considerable friction between the two men, where Dawes was expressive, explosive and opinionated, Coolidge was more reserved. They also disagreed about Cabinet meetings. Coolidge sought to continue and honour Warren G. Harding's practice of including the Vice President in these meetings, but Dawes insisted that his presence could potentially threaten the independence of the legislative branch. Coolidge was thoroughly incensed by this.

Coolidge's disdain for his Vice President was further exacerbated by Dawes' behaviour during the President's inaugural address in 1925. Mere minutes after being sworn into office, as opposed to giving the Senate a standard, amicable greeting, he launched into an insulting and abusive tirade, shocking everybody in the room. Not only was Coolidge embarrassed by what he perceived as Dawes' vulgar, uncouth and unprofessional behaviour, he was also heavily upstaged during his own inaugural address.

Answer: Cuba

Calvin Coolidge did not fly to Cuba in January 1928. He took a 40-hour train journey to Florida then boarded the USS Texas, a World War I battleship. Although Coolidge's goal was peace and relieving tension in the region, arriving at Cuba in such a large and impressive battleship was a useful demonstration of the U.S's military power. Cuba was the only country that Calvin Coolidge would visit during his time in office.

It would be almost nine decades before a sitting U.S President would visit Cuba again, until Barack Obama in 2016.

Answer: Blister

On June 30, 1924, Calvin Jr (1908-1924) was playing tennis on the White House lawn with his brother. He played without socks and foot began to blister. This blister became infected with Staphylococcus aureus. The infection was unstoppable by physicians because penicillin had not been discovered yet by this time. Calvin Jr succumbed to the infection and died a week later.

Calvin Coolidge was devastated and blamed himself for his son's death. Some historians speculate that the tragedy prevented Coolidge from running for a second term in office. Coolidge wrote in his autobiography regarding his son's death "When he went, the power and glory of the Presidency went with him."

Answer: True

Calvin Coolidge was not only frugal, but he held the belief that "collecting more taxes than is absolutely necessary is legalized robbery." He was very strict about managing waste, insisting that all White House staff use pencils down to the absolute shortest nub before throwing them away. He also banned the staff at the White House from using office stationary to create any personal or unnecessary notes to save paper. Paper clips and large envelopes were strictly re-used, and any staff caught discarding these when they were still usable were reprimanded.

Coolidge also closely monitored how much the White House kitchen was costing, insisting on recycling leftover food and decreasing the amount of courses served during state dinners. He also made his staff take public transport if possible, restricting lifts for the staff by government vehicles to save money.

Answer: Plymouth Notch Cemetery

Plymouth Notch Cemetery in Vermont was where Calvin Coolidge was laid to rest after dying of coronary thrombosis on January 5, 1933. His wife, Grace and his two sons, Calvin Coolidge Jr. (1908-1924) and John Coolidge (1906-2000) are also buried here.