John Calvin Coolidge was born in 1872 and became the 30th United States’ President in 1923. After taking over from Warren Harding, who died in office, Coolidge went on to serve the country for six years. During his reign, Calvin Coolidge restored the integrity that was already in jeopardy but continued with the strategies of the previous government.
In this article, we have compiled a list of ten fun facts that you might not know about Calving Coolidge. We hope you will enjoy reading this well-researched informative piece.
Calvin Coolidge: Fun facts about the 30th President of the United States
1. Coolidge shared all the three names with his father
It is a regular occurrence to find a son to share one or two names, but sharing all the three names is something that one might cherish, an interesting fact about Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge, often referred to as John Calvin Coolidge Junior, had that privilege.
His father, Coolidge Senior, was a storekeeper who played his responsibility as best as he could. He instilled the necessary virtues like industry and honesty to his son, who turned out to be a well-brought-up gentleman.
2. He was the only President born on the 4th of July
Over the years, the 4th of July has been one of the most important calendar dates in American history. On this day, the country became independent from its colonizers and started enjoying the much-needed freedom. Coincidentally, three former presidents of the United States died on this date, with two of them passing away in the same year.
In 1872, Coolidge senior and his wife were happy to welcome a new member of the family in Coolidge Junior. Calvin Coolidge does not share his birthday with any other President of the United States, which makes it one of the unique facts about him.
3. Coolidge was sworn in by his father
Taking charge of a superpower is one of the best feelings, but it is even better when the one swearing you in is your father. Calvin Coolidge is the only President of the United States to have enjoyed the privilege of being sworn in by his biological father, an interesting fact about Calvin Coolidge. The process took place in the family’s parlor on the 3rd of August, 1923, at around 2 am.
After the inauguration process, the new President went back to bed, waiting for the D-day. The reason for such a hurried and unique swearing-in ceremony was the death of President Warren Harding the previous evening.
4. He supported a smaller government and lower taxes
The United States probably had its most exceptional development phase of that time during Coolidge’s tenure. He was not afraid to execute his strategies, and one of them was to cut taxes as much as he could. Coolidge became the first president to champion freedom, lower taxes, and a smaller government. Amazingly enough, almost all of his plans worked in favor of the state’s growth.
5. He enforced regulations on radio broadcast frequencies
Before Calvin Coolidge took power, stations used to broadcast their content on overlapping frequency channels. Commercial broadcasting had not gained any ground and was still a tiny part of the industry. The industry sought help from the previous governments, but none was willing to commit to their grievances fully.
When Calvin Coolidge came in, he signed into law the first regulation governing radio broadcasting. After signing the Radio Act in 1927, the federal government took control over the airwaves, which were now part of the public property.
6. He was the last U.S. President to write his speeches
Nearly all presidents in the world have a secretary whose job is to write and edit speeches to be released during any press conference. However, Coolidge preferred writing such speeches for himself as he believed that would be a better way of expressing his views, an interesting Calvin Coolidge fact.
Calvin Coolidge was also known for his short speeches. He deliberately did so to make the journalists’ work a lot easier. On average, most of his sentences would not exceed 18 words, which are by far the shortest as compared to his successors.
7. He understood the importance of the press in governance
Many a time, governments see the journalists as a burden in their management and would rather not issue updates via such channels. However, in modern society, where media plays a significant role in the lives of many people, members of the press are the most critical part of any government.
President Coolidge understood this fact, and for that, he preferred to deliver his messages via this channel and bypass the congress. He offered press released twice every week to ensure that transparency became one of the main features in his leadership. Also, he regularly provided his comments to the media informally.
8. Coolidge fought hard against corrupt leaders
After his death, Warren Harding left behind a very corrupt group of leaders and scandal-ridden administration. To bring everything back to the expected levels in his administration, Coolidge had to be strong against those he found in government.
He became the first American President of the 20th century to address the issue of corruption publicly. As a matter of fact, Coolidge appointed a group of special prosecutors to investigate and bring the culprits to book.
9. He was not very talkative
Despite his regular press releases, at least eight per month, Coolidge was not quite talkative. Records show that he would answer most of the questions from the press with a “yes” or “no” answer. In a social setting, it would be quite tough to communicate with him as he was generally quiet, an interesting fact about Calvin Coolidge. A story is told of a dinner companion who placed a bet on extracting at least three words from Coolidge only to be answered with “you lose.”
10. He was the first sitting president to pay a visit to Cuba
Coolidge made history when he visited Cuba while still in office, and became the first U.S. president to do so. No other president did while in power until Barack Obama in 2016. Coolidge’s trip was a success, and it is reported that he enjoyed the reception given to him.
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