Customer Reviews

The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge

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3 star:		(1)
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Some years ago, I learned that Calvin Coolidge was one of the presidents that Ronald Reagan most admired. That puzzled me, since what little I knew of Coolidge was not necessarily admirable. To whit: He was known as "Silent Cal," because he didn't have much to say; and he was said to be a "do nothing" president, because he didn't accomplish much. So, when I ran across this book I decided to see if I could learn more about Calvin Coolidge and, hopefully, discover why he was held in such high esteem by America's 40th President.

In answer to the first question: I don't think I learned a lot about Calvin Coolidge. it is abundantly clear that Coolidge wrote this book himself, no ghost writers here, but, he wrote it in a most unusual way. It is almost as if Coolidge, a very private and unusually modest man, was scanning a journal he had kept all his life and briefly describing what he considered to be the high points of his life. As a result, the reader seems to learn much about those who encountered Coolidge or worked with him throughout his life, and what Coolidge thought of them, and something about his major accomplishments. You see what Coolidge saw and see what Coolidge did, but little is learned about the inner man except as deduced from the sage philosophical observations which he scatters throughout his book. In short: the writing seems superficial. It tells us how Calvin Coolidge spent his "dash," but it is hard to believe that the life of this man, who rose from a modest beginning to become President of the United States, could be captured in just 247 pages with extra-wide margins and double spaced text.

If the reader pays close attention to the values expressed by Coolidge throughout his book, however, he or she can clearly understand why he was so much admired by Ronald Reagan. The values expressed by Coolidge are essentially the same as Reagan's - the idealism, optimism, and "classical liberalism" of an earlier age -- as exemplified by the rural, down to earth, values of the hard working Americans of his time. To paraphrase a few: All kinds of work from the most menial to the most exalted are alike honorable. There is no dignity quite so impressive, and no independence quite so important, as living within one's means. Wealth comes from industry and from the hard experience of human toil. Any reward that is worth having only comes to the industrious. We are all fallible, but experience should teach us not to repeat our errors. Expediency as a working principle is bound to fail. There is evil in the world, but good predominates all around us.

And, in the realm of government and politics: People should manage their government, and not be managed by it. In the discharge of the duties of the office [of the President] there is one rule of action more important than all others. It consists in never doing anything that some one else can do for you. Otherwise, the President will be entirely devoted to trifling details and there will be little opportunity to give the necessary consideration to policies of larger importance. Tasks must be entrusted to competent men [and women] of sufficient ability so that they can solve all the problems that arise under their jurisdiction. Large concerns are necessary for the progress in which both capital and labor have a common interest. The government should not be blamed because everyone is not prosperous. Nothing is more dangerous to good government than great power in improper hands. And finally: 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.

What struck me hardest in this book, however, was the Boston Policeman's strike in 1905 and Massachusetts' Governor Coolidge's reaction to it. The police force was attempting to create a union and join the American Federation of Labor (AFL), although all had agreed not to do so upon joining the force. When they were prevented from doing so, they struck, whereupon the Police Commissioner fired the leaders of the insurrection and, he, himself, was forced to resign. Governor Coolidge reinstated the Police Commissioner and helped those fired to find other jobs, but would never again let them serve as police officers. He did so saying that, "There is no right to strike against the public safety by any body, any time, any where." [Shades of Reagan's later firing of the Air Traffic Controllers in 1981]

I wasn't impressed by this book, but the wise advice and down-to-earth philosophy of life expressed therein is worth at least four stars. And, I can't help but agree with Ronald Reagan: Calvin Coolidge is to be much admired. As a matter of fact, I'm not sure that Ronald Reagan would have been the great president he was if he hadn't admired men such as this.

President Calvin Coolidge was a good man and great President who deserves to remembered for more than his reticence. Read here the life story of the President who grew up learning that hard work and a thoughtful outlook are the keys to success. He cut taxes four times and vetoed agricultural subsidies twice. He was unusually tolerant of minorities for his time. The story of President Coolidge is one that deserves to be read. Conservatives and libertarians will find his story especially appropriate for their children.

To the extent that most Americans remember Calvin Coolidge, it is for a series of amusing anecdotes concerning his economy with words. That characterization is only partly true. Few people know that Coolidge was one of the last presidents who wrote his own speeches and that he held regular press conferences without a press secretary running interference for him. Coolidge, the son of a general store owner in rural Vermont, was immensely popular and could have easily been renominated had he chosen to run in 1928. There was even a movement to draft Coolidge to accept the nomination in 1932. He declined and his successor, Herbert Hoover, was renominated and defeated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Coolidge had a syndicated newspaper column following his retirement from party politics and he produced a highly readable autobiography that is candid and simple in its approach. Coolidge possessed a sense of humor and he did not take himself too seriously. This brief book should not be dismissed by anyone interested in America during the Twenties. Coolidge's reputation suffered, somewhat unfairly, at the hands of the New Deal historians who sought to promote Roosevelt by denigrating his predecessors. Coolidge was neglected as a historical figure until Ronald Reagan sought to rehabilitate his boyhood hero.

Coolidge is buried in Plymouth Notch, close to the same country cross roads store in which he was born and sworn into office by his own father following the sudden death of President Warren G. Harding.

"The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge" is a fabulous autobiography. Calvin Coolidge was a good man and a good writer, and in his autobiography, Cooidge talks about growing up, his career in law and politics, his family, and everything anybody would want to learn about President Coolidge. People who are interested in becoming President should read Calvin Coolidge's autobiography: Coolidge shared with his readers some duties of the President and what seeking a third term can do to you. How a President is elected has changed since Coolidge's time, but Coolidge became President because of the death of his sucessor, Warren G. Harding. Even though Coolidge shared his opinion, anybody in the White House because of the death of their sucessor should take Coolidge's opinion. Calvin Coolidge was a good man, and there are lessons everyone could benefit from by reading his autobiography.

Who would think about reading a book about Calvin Coolidge? I'd like to report though that it was a wonderful experience to read about a humble, self-effacing man with a legendarily dry sense of humor,in marked contrast to some of today's self-serving politicians.

Coolidge tells of his boyhood,his warm relationship with his mother, father,sister and stepmother,how he was sworn in by candlelight,about his political life,but most importantly the book is a true model of character and values which can serve as a fine example for anyone,particularly for those entering political life. It would also be an excellent resource for character and values courses for elementary and high school students.

Coolidge isn't known as a great president, but his interpretation was that the role of making laws was the function of Congress,not requiring presidential initiation. Since FDR of course, the President has taken on a far more active role in setting policy. Coolidge's great contribtion to history was not his presidency, but his embodiment of character and values. He also helped restore the dignity of the office after the Harding scandals, much as Ford and Carter did after Nixon.

His autobiography and his character motivated me to create a website about his life,quotes,humor and his truly charming, way ahead of her time wife Grace Coolidge: www.calvincoolidge.us. I also wrote a two hour one man show of his life and performed it twice. It all started with his humble book.

A visit to his family homestead where he took the candlelight oath, and also where he and his wife and sons are buried,is in Plymouth Notch, Vermont,one of New England's prettiest spots in the Fall. But I digress, as they say. The book is excellent.

At face value, Calvin Coolidge's autobiography is exactly what one would expect based on Coolidge's (unfair) reputation in the United States today: straight, to the point... little embellishment, if any. One might be surprised to hear that there are even the 247 pages that exist until one sees that the font is larger than most books today and the text ends well before it reaches the bottom of each page (as I understand it, my copy - a hardback which the paperback appears to parallel - is a direct reproduction of the 1929 first edition, causing it to have a different format that contemporary books). Further, at face value, the reader might not be disappointed with this format as he can read through the book quickly; it is simply a chronological account of Coolidge's life with little more to attract an audience than its relatively nice prose. As with most books worth reading, however, reading them at face value means missing a great deal of wisdom and value that the author has hidden inside.

The great worth of this book, as the reviewer Marvin Pipher pointed out, is that Coolidge humbly expresses the values, character, and dignity with which he lived - which molded him as he grew, which guided him when he served, and which signaled to him what was important enough to recount when he wrote. When one looks past the pages of simple names and facts, a treasury of wisdom and character can be grasped of which, I wish, all politicians had at least a fraction. Coolidge's stance on what it means to be a politician, the place of law and order within a democracy, his stance on minorities, his collaborative vision of the presidency, his economic sense, his close adherence to proper etiquette while being down to earth and not being pompous... All of his qualities as man and president can and should guide not only our elected leaders, but every member of the United States. These qualities and more shine through this autobiography, for those willing to see them.

This is, by no means, to say that all of the book's value is between the lines; I copied down over a dozen sentences or paragraphs that struck me with Coolidge's wisdom and honor. Though not as eloquent on the whole as many of Coolidge's speeches, many of the things he wrote in these pages are beautiful and insightful.

After finishing this book, I began reading Richard Brookhiser's "Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington." Halfway through that book, I have come to realize that, if we are to be fair, much of the criticism of Coolidge as a do-nothing, over-quiet president ought to be applied to Washington, as well; or, if we are to be fair the other way - which I am disposed to do - we ought to raise Coolidge far above the contemporary indifference with which we pass over his life and presidency. Though the two lived very different lives, the character, stateliness, poise, and selfless service of both parallel far more than I think most are inclined to admit without investigation.

This is not a book that I would say every American must read - though it certainly would not be a bad thing - but it is one that I believe every politician ought not only read, but study. I wonder what Coolidge would have been like as President during other periods of American history. Though I would love to see what he would be like today, I am afraid that the values and hard work which shaped the man over a hundred years ago do not exist enough today to the extent that he would turn out the same man. This book, then, is not only valuable as an autobiography of a president but of the country that shaped him. It is worth the price and the time to read; I know that though I had respect for Coolidge before, he stands far higher after reading this.

The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge is probably written the way that political figures wrote their memoirs in the 1920s: it is brief, simple, guarded and idealistic. Coolidge's life story has several moralistic themes running through it: (1) have a strong work ethic, (2) as far as possible be on good terms with everyone, even your political opponents, (3) don't expect government to solve your problems, you've got to work hard and make a better life for yourself. As an example of the type of platitude that is plentiful in this book, Coolidge writes "There is only one form of political strategy in which I have any confidence, and that is to try to do the right thing and sometimes be able to succeed" or "Any reward worth having only comes to the industrious."

Coolidge tells us his life-story in a modest, self-effacing manner beginning with an idyllic description of his country upbringing and the strong work ethic that was instilled in him by his father. He describes how he became a lawyer and learned the law, rising to some prominence in the legal community once again by hard work, a strong sense of ethics and learning from the example of the best lawyers around. He describes how he climbed the political ladder, first in municipal politics, then at the state and national level. His star rose rapidly as a mayor, state senator, lieutenant governor and then governor of Massachusetts for two years before being drafted as Vice-President on the Republican ticket with Warren Harding in 1920. At each rung of this ladder, Coolidge would have the reader believe that he had no strong political ambitions, but it was at the urging of the electorate and his peers that he rose to the next level.

This book does not give any details or inside accounts of any major political occurrences. For example, Coolidge only mentions the scandals of the Harding administration in a sentence, commenting on how they must have aged Harding and accelerated his death. Of Harding himself, Coolidge is loyal and speaks warmly of his boss, without any mention of Harding's personal character defects. At one point in his book, Coolidge admits that he has always been loyal and supportive of his political superiors. The chapter of the book on his own Presidency does not discuss any of the issue of the day. Instead he writes about the mundane routine of his presidential duties as well as some of the protocol involved in the office. About the only time that Coolidge talks about a political issue is his account of the Boston Police strike of 1919 during his term as Governor of Massachusetts. He admits that it was likely his handling of that issue that led to his being chosen as the Republican nominee for the Vice-Presidency in 1920.

But on one issue Coolidge lets down his guard somewhat and gives us some insight into his innermost thought, that being on the death of his son Calvin. Calvin died during the time that Coolidge was running for President in his own right in 1924. Coolidge writes:

"He was a boy of much promise, proficient in his studies, with a scholarly mind, who had just turned sixteen. He had a remarkable insight into things. The day I became president he had just started to work in a tobacco field. When one of his fellow laborers said to him 'If my father was President I would not work in a tobacco field', Calvin replied 'If my father were your father you would'... If I had not been President, he would not have raised a blister on his toe, which resulted in blood poisoning, playing tennis in the south grounds. 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. The ways of Providence are often beyond our understanding. It seemed to me that the world had need of the work that it was probable he could do. I do not know why such a price was exacted for occupying the White House... It costs a great deal to be President."

This is an effortless read, pleasant and not mentally taxing. What it lacks in detail and revelation, it makes up in simple philosophy and takes the reader back to a more innocent time, whether real or imagined.

Calvin Coolidge was what all presidents should be: a modest and honest civil servant who understood the correct function of government and acted accordingly.

I loved the whole story about growing up in Vermont and later becoming president.

My favorite paragraph, "In ethics he taught us that there is a standard of righteousness, that might does not make right, that the end does not justify the means and that expediency as a working principle is bound to fail. The only hope of perfecting human relationship is in accordance with the law of service under which men are not so solicitous about what they shall get as they are about what they shall give. Yet people are entitled to the rewards of their industry. What they earn is theirs, no matter how small or how great."

I wish more American presidents possessed the honesty and common sense of Coolidge. Every decade would be an economic boom.

John Christmas, author of "Democracy Society"

I had to learn more about the man who wrote my favorite quote and one of the most important and popular of all times - Persistence. His personal story in his own words in wonderful and revealing.

This is a fascinating autobiography from a President that I knew little about, but now deeply respect. It recounts his childhood, schooling, occupation as a lawyer, and involvement in government.

One of the early memories is of his father's participation in pure democracy - the towns folk met together annually and decided what public works the local government would accomplish that year. He recounts how everyone was aware that if they wanted government to do something for them, they would have to pay for it.

One of my other favorite moments in the book is this quote near the end: "The country is better off tranquilly considering its blessings and merits, and earnestly striving to secure more of them, than it would be in nursing hostile bitterness about its deficiencies and faults."

It was also refreshing to read how Coolidge strove to get along with everyone and be cordial even in disagreement, earning the respect of people in both parties. I can't help but think that if we had more statesmen like Coolidge, politics might still be a reputable profession.