Calvin Coolidge [Hardcover]

David Greenberg (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 26, 2006

The austere president who presided over the Roaring Twenties and whose conservatism masked an innovative approach to national leadership

 

He was known as "Silent Cal." Buttoned up and tight-lipped, Calvin Coolidge seemed out of place as the leader of a nation plunging headlong into the modern era. His six years in office were a time of flappers, speakeasies, and a stock market boom, but his focus was on cutting taxes, balancing the federal budget, and promoting corporate productivity. "The chief business of the American people is business," he famously said.

But there is more to Coolidge than the stern capitalist scold. He was the progenitor of a conservatism that would flourish later in the century and a true innovator in the use of public relations and media. Coolidge worked with the top PR men of his day and seized on the rising technologies of newsreels and radio to bring the presidency into the lives of ordinary Americans--a path that led directly to FDR's "fireside chats" and the expert use of television by Kennedy and Reagan. At a time of great upheaval, Coolidge embodied the ambivalence that many of his countrymen felt. America kept "cool with Coolidge," and he returned the favor.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As America's 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, popularly known as "Silent Cal," had a record that "was neither substantial nor enduring"; still, Ronald Reagan considered him "one of our most underrated presidents," and historian and author Greenberg (Nixon's Shadow) sets to find out why in a precise and objective record of Coolidge's long political career. If Coolidge's commitment to minimalist government in turn minimized his contributions to the nation, he was regarded well during his two terms, probably because of "robust economic productivity" and his prescient use of growing public relations infrastructure, utilizing radio, film and photography to run a front-porch campaign "long before the term 'photo op' was coined." Coolidge's personal commitment to austerity allowed him to"pare spending in almost every government department" and cut taxes four times; by the "end of his second term, most Americans paid no federal income tax at all." Though Black Thursday devastated the stock market on his watch in 1929, at the end of his presidency "standard accounts affix some blame to his policies," but "even Coolidge's harshest critics agree that the roots of the Depression lie deeper than any policies of one man." Greenberg's history takes readers ably but unsurprisingly from rustic, post-Civil War Vermont to, in Coolidge's words, "a new era to which I do not belong," showing along the way how his personality and politics helped him regain relevancy in political struggles yet to come.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The famously taciturn thirtieth president, affectionately dubbed Silent Cal, had been an award-winning student orator and delivered effective if unexciting speeches throughout his political career (must have: he lost only one election in 30 years). He conducted more presidential press conferences (his immediate predecessor, Harding, invented them) than any other president. He embraced radio and the movies, the modern media of his day, and provided photo ops at the drop, or replacement--he once donned an Indian ceremonial headdress--of a hat. He really was reserved, but he cultivated his relative silence to suggest humility and perspicacity; fortunately, he also had a ready, dry wit. Intellectuals and pundits groaned about him, but the general public, including, then and later, Ronald Reagan, adored him. Greenberg argues that while his management of his image was ahead of his time, his conception of presidential power--limited, hands-off, better delegated--was utterly of it. Coolidge was, Greenberg implies, a true progressive conservative, genially fatalistic about change, indulging its benefits while deploring the altered morals it facilitated. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 202 pages
• Publisher: Times Books; First Edition edition (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805069577
• ISBN-13: 978-0805069570
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #512,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 73 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Coolidge truly deserved a better biographer September 26, 2007

By C. A. Temm

Format:Hardcover

As many small "r" republicans and libertarians have noted, Coolidge is truly underrated. Unfortunately this biography will not do overly much to boost his image or reputation.

Mr. Greenberg's political beliefs get in the way of a non-partisan review of Calvin Coolidge. He does not much like his hands off philosophy nor very obviously, his small government/non intereference beliefs. This gets in the way of real examination of the man and his accomplishments. Though he admits to admiring aspects of the man's personal life, he cannot extend that admiration to Coolidge's lack of ambition or vision as president.

From the begining of his national notice as governor of Taxachusetts, Coolidge is portrayed as a man who dithers from indecision rather than a man who refuses to overstep his potical boundaries (police strike of 1919). Greenberg labels Coolidege's propensity to delegate rather than do things himself as weakness rather than sound executive ability.

He does note Coolidge's accomplishments in the use of radio (the new media then)to actually contact the people in lareg numbers. His ability to use the medium let him avoid the Congress and go direct to the people, something few presidents have forgotten since. With this use of radio and regularly scheduled presss conferences, he was the first 'modern' president.

Greenberg's personal political philosophy gets in the way too many times of the process of looking into Coolidge. From the falsehood of tax cuts "costing the Treasury money better spent on infrastructure" (how about what taxpayers would have done with it?...) to his deploring of Coolidge's decision to let the ICC languish rather than up its choking of the American railroads (FDR reversed that quickly enough, look at that result),Greenberg fails to keep his personal views from is often a pleasurable read. He does note very astutely that Coolidge was no true laissez faire man but rather on tariffs at least, a traditional Republican out for big protective tariffs.

He does grudgingly though note that Coolidge was a true believer in the limits of political power. It would be this belief that would cause him to declare that he would not run for reelection. As Coolidge himself said, "the office has lost its attraction for me..."

Perhaps its Coolidge's style, concern for the taxpayer, and overall simplicity that many Americans long for. For sure, many of us would love to see someone in office who did not have to pronounce on every event in the nation like our last few decades of leaders have gotten into the habit of doing... Read more ›

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars .Good characterization of a very private president December 26, 2010

By J. Dykstra

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

This particular entry in The American Presidents Series is fairly well-written and engaging. One of the themes the author continually develops about this popular former president is that he was a reserved and intensely private character and as such, his biography is more difficult to write. In spite of this, the author does a pretty good job of covering President Coolidge's life and his impact. Most readers probably already know that Coolidge was famous for being somewhat of a figure of stability and sparse intervention during a time of economic prosperity and political stability (relatively speaking) at home and abroad. He is seen as having presided over the good times while his successor gets much of the blame for the Great Depression that followed. However, most people are probably unaware that this humble, private man who was dedicated to efficiency and integrity was also a groundbreaking president in his use of the media to connect to average Americans. He was one of the first presidents to make use of radio, motion pictures and media interviews on a regular basis in a way that ushered in more modern practices that we are used to seeing nowadays. This is an additional theme to the book and one that makes Coolidge an interesting study in contrasts. The author suggests that Coolidge, who languished for many years in public thought because his brand of trickle-down laissez faire economics became discredited after the advent of the Great Depression, has become more relevant in the last few decades because of the resurgence in popularity of these ideas. In general, the reader of this biography will find a nice balance between the personal story of the rise of this unlikely but popular president and a characterization of the times in which he lived.... Not everything about Coolidge and his time in office is presented as being positive but the final verdict is fair and favorable. Read more ›

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Deployed 20th century methods to promote 19th century values. So reads June 17, 2010

By JOHN GODFREY

Format:Hardcover

the last page. It sums up the Coolidge philosophy. This biography by David Greenberg is chock full of information on a relatively obscure president. He is truly the first modern president. One word: radio. Ironically radio & its skilled use by shy "silent Cal" made his the most accessible presidency up to that time. Mr. Greenberg notes that President Coolidge's voice was heard by more Americans in one radio address than heard Theodore Roosevelt in his entire life. It was a connection he would use expertly & in fact helped him go over the head of congress on several occasions. He was cheap, not verbose & not exposed to much diversity in his life, like most Americans. He never overworked & made sure he got his 10 hours of sleep. I don't know if that included his daily nap. Politically he felt that general interest overrode special interest. Fair enough except he seemed to think that business & cutting their taxes were a general interest & special interest like farmers & flood victims could suffer. A veteran's bonus bill was passed over his veto. Actually his tax cuts helped many & the extra income created a new investor class out of many middle class Americans. His indifference to congress who he felt was merely a collection of special interest resulted in a fairly spotty legislative record. But it didn't matter. Except for slight economic dips in 1924 & '27 he presided in what was called "The Coolidge Prosperity". That his laissez- fair attitude toward business as well as the massive stock purchasing on margin by many new investors is responsible for the stock market crash less than seven months after he left office is open to endless debate. His success in foreign affairs was limited but again that didn't matter. He was perfectly in tune with Americans at that time.... He expertly danced around the Harding scandals that were swirling & reveled in American success's such as Lindberg's New York to Paris flight which he was able to exploit. So much info in this book of just 159 pages plus notes. He has his admirers such as Ronald Reagan, & his theory that he who governs least, governs best. Yet four years after he left office, with the country in ruins, FDR was elected & the idea of limited, small federal government was a thing of the past. Read more ›