John Calvin Coolidge Sr. (March 31, 1845 – March 18, 1926) was an American politician and businessman from

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, and the father of

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States, serving from 1923 to 1929. A Republican Party (United States), Republican lawyer from Massachusetts, he previously ...

, the 30th

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. The senior Coolidge administered the presidential oath of office to his son at their family homestead in the early morning hours of August 3, 1923, following the death of President

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

. Born in Plymouth, Vermont, Coolidge was a farmer and store owner, and worked at a variety of other occupations, including banker and insurance broker. In addition, he was a veteran of the Vermont militia, and held the law enforcement posts of town constable and county deputy sheriff. A prominent local leader, he served in numerous Plymouth town offices, and was elected to terms in both the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

and

Vermont Senate The Vermont Senate is the upper house of the Vermont General Assembly, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The senate consists of 30 members elected from multi-member districts. Each senator repre ...

. Coolidge remained active in his farming and business interests until his death in Plymouth in 1926; he was buried in Plymouth Notch at a village cemetery where several generations of his family are also buried.

Political and business career

Coolidge was born in Plymouth, Vermont on March 31, 1845, the son of Calvin Galusha Coolidge and Sarah Coolidge. Calvin G. Coolidge was a farmer, and also served in the

. John Coolidge graduated from Black River Academy, and served in Vermont during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

as commander of the state militia's Company K, 10th Regiment with the rank of

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. Early in his life, Coolidge worked as a woodcutter and wheelwright. He was later active in several occupations; a partial list includes farmer, blacksmith, bricklayer, mason, carriage maker, harness maker, teacher, store owner, and insurance broker. In addition, he was a vice president of the Ludlow Savings Bank & Trust Company, and was appointed to its board of directors. Coolidge also served on the Black River Academy board of trustees. A Republican, Coolidge served in the

from 1872 to 1878. He held local offices throughout his life, including town selectboard member, town meeting moderator, town agent, tax collector, road commissioner, school superintendent, justice of the peace, and

notary public A notary public ( notary or public notary; notaries public) of the common law is a public officer constituted by law to serve the public in non-contentious matters usually concerned with general financial transactions, estates, deeds, powers- ...

. For several years, he was Plymouth's assistant postmaster, with a long running joke in the town being that Coolidge held this position because he was the only person in Plymouth who knew how to complete the forms required when submitting the post office's annual report to the main office in Washington, DC. For nearly 40 years he was both a town constable and deputy sheriff of Windsor County. During the 1900 to 1902 governorship of William W. Stickney, who was related to the Coolidge family, John Coolidge served on his military staff as aide-de-camp with the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. Coolidge served in the

from 1910 to 1912. During his Senate term, Coolidge was chairman of the Committee on Land Taxes.

Inaugurating his son

Upon hearing the death of President

the previous day, Coolidge, who was a Vermont justice of the peace and a

, administered the presidential oath of office to his son at the Coolidge Homestead in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, at about 2:30 a.m. on August 3, 1923.Miller Center, American Presidents

Death

John Calvin Coolidge Sr. died in Plymouth, Vermont on , thirteen days before his 81st birthday. He was buried at Plymouth Notch Cemetery.

Family

In 1868, Coolidge married Victoria Josephine Moor (born 1846). They were the parents of two children, son Calvin, and daughter Abigail (1875–1890). Victoria died in 1885, aged 39. Coolidge married Caroline Athelia Brown (1857–1920) on September 9, 1891.

Notes

Sources

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coolidge, John Calvin Sr. 1845 births 1926 deaths People from Plymouth, Vermont People of Vermont in the American Civil War John Sr. Fathers of presidents of the United States Fathers of vice presidents of the United States School board members in Vermont Republican Party members of the Vermont House of Representatives Republican Party Vermont state senators American notaries Calvin Coolidge Businesspeople from Vermont Farmers from Vermont 19th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly 20th-century members of the Vermont General Assembly