View source for Directory:Calvin Coolidge

{{Infobox_President | name=John Calvin Coolidge Jr.
| nationality=American
| image=Calvin Coolidge photo portrait head and shoulders.jpg
| order=30<sup>th</sup> [[President of the United States]]
| term_start=[[August 2]] [[1923]]
| term_end=[[March 4]] [[1929]]<!--Source for correct date is Sobel; see Talk -->
| vicepresident=''None'' (1923–1925)<br />[[Charles G. Dawes]], (1925–1929)
| predecessor=[[Warren G. Harding]]
| successor=[[Herbert Hoover]]
| order2=29<sup>th</sup> [[Vice President of the United States]]
| term_start2=[[March 4]] [[1921]]
| term_end2=[[August 2]] [[1923]]
| president2=[[Warren G. Harding]]
| predecessor2=[[Thomas R. Marshall]]
| successor2=[[Charles G. Dawes]]
| order3=48<sup>th</sup>
| office3= Governor of Massachusetts
| term_start3=[[January 2]] [[1919]]
| term_end3=[[January 6]] [[1921]]
| lieutenant3=[[Channing H. Cox]]
| predecessor3=[[Samuel W. McCall]]
| successor3=[[Channing H. Cox]]
|office4= 53<sup>rd</sup> [[Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts]]
|term_start4= [[January 6]] [[1916]]
|term_end4= [[January 2]] [[1919]] 
|governor4= [[Samuel W. McCall]]
|predecessor4= [[Grafton D. Cushing]]
|successor4= [[Channing H. Cox]]
| birth_date={{birth date|1872|7|4|mf=y}}
| birth_place=[[Plymouth, Vermont|Plymouth]], [[Vermont]]
| death_date={{death date and age|1933|1|5|1872|7|4}}
| death_place=[[Northampton, Massachusetts|Northampton]], [[Massachusetts]]
| religion=[[Congregational church|Congregationalist]]
| alma_mater=[[Amherst College]]
| spouse=[[Grace Coolidge|Grace Goodhue Coolidge]]
| party=[[United States Republican Party|Republican]]
| signature=Calvin Coolidge Signature.jpg
|}}
'''John Calvin Coolidge, Jr.''' ([[July 4]] [[1872]] &ndash; [[January 5]] [[1933]]), more commonly known as '''Calvin Coolidge''', was the thirtieth [[President of the United States]] (1923–1929).  A [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] lawyer from [[Vermont]], Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of [[Massachusetts]] state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state. His actions during the [[Boston Police Strike]] of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight. Soon after, he was elected as the twenty-ninth [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] in 1920 and succeeded to the Presidency upon the death of [[Warren G. Harding]]. Elected in his own right in 1924, he gained a reputation as a [[fiscal conservative|small-government conservative]].

In many ways Coolidge's style of governance was a throwback to the passive presidency of the nineteenth century.<ref>Sobel, 14</ref> He restored public confidence in the White House after the [[Warren G. Harding#Administrative Scandals|scandals]] of his predecessor's administration, and left office with considerable popularity.<ref>McCoy, 420–421; Greenberg, 49–53</ref> As his biographer later put it, "he embodied the spirit and hopes of the [[middle class]], could interpret their longings and express their opinions. That he did represent the genius of the average is the most convincing proof of his strength."<ref>Fuess, 500</ref>

Many later criticized Coolidge as part of a general criticism of [[laissez-faire|laissez-faire government]].<ref>McCoy, 418; Greenberg, 146–150; Ferrell, 66–72</ref> His reputation underwent a renaissance during the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] administration,<ref>Sobel, 12–13; Greenberg, 2–3</ref> but the ultimate assessment of his presidency is still divided between those who approve of his reduction of the size of government and those who believe the federal government should be more involved in regulating the economy.<ref>Greenberg, 1–7</ref>