Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library & Museum (Forbes Library)

Operating within Northhampton's Forbes Library, this museum and library is dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the 30th President of the United States, Calvin Coolidge. Coolidge and his family donated artifacts and personal documents that are on display along with official records and many other items. The building was designed by architect William C. Brocklesby and the library and museum is owned and operated by Forbes Library.

John Calvin Coolidge Jr. was born in Plymouth Notch, Vermont on Independence Day in 1872, and remains the only president that was born on the Fourth of July. John Calvin Coolidge Sr. and Victoria Coolidge also had two other children after John, who went by his middle name for most of his life. His father gained a reputation as a prominent storekeeper and farmer around town including serving in many public offices like Justice of the Peace, tax collector, and a member of the Vermont House of Representatives. When Coolidge turned 12, his mother died from tuberculosis.

Coolidge attended two academies before completing his education at Amherst College where he joined the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta and graduated with cum laude status. He gained admiration for a philosophy professor named Charles Garman, who he came to respect for his ways of explaining philosophy ethics.

At his father’s request, Coolidge went to Northampton, Massachusetts in order to practice law, but he did not go to law school. Coolidge instead took up an apprenticeship with the local firm Hammond Field. In 1897, Coolidge became a lawyer in Massachusetts where he opened his own law firm in Northampton. Coolidge practiced commercial law believing he helped his clients by staying away from the courtroom. In 1903, Coolidge met his wife Grace and they married on October 4, 1905 within Grace’s family’s house parlor. Grace’s mother did not approve of the marriage initially.

The Republican Party dominated New England at this time, and by winning over local Republicans, he was able to secure several public offices. He was appointed as a member of the Republican City Committee in Northampton and was elected to the City Council. From the council, he went on to become City Solicitor serving from 1900-1902. Coolidge suffered defeat when running for a position on the Northampton school board, but was generally successful when seeking the support of voters at the regional and state level.

Coolidge won election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1907. As a new representative, he mainly voted party lines on legislation and served on minor committees. Coolidge supported progressive policies like women’s suffrage and direct election of Senators. After serving in the House, Coolidge returned home and ran for the Mayor of Northampton position to which he won easily. His first term saw him increase teacher salaries and reduce some of the city debt with a tax decrease. Coolidge ran for the Massachusetts State Senate where he won by a landslide after the retired incumbent encouraged him to run and endorsed his candidacy. During his time in the Senate, Coolidge helped pass the Western Trolley Act in Massachusetts, which helped connected Northampton to industrial committees in the western part of the state. After winning re-election in 1914, Coolidge resided as President of the Massachusetts State Senate.

Coolidge also served as Lieutenant Governor and Governor of Massachusetts as well. He ran on promises of fiscal conservatism, protection for women’s rights, and support of American involvement in WWI, but he had to deal with the 1919 Boston Police Strike during his term where police officers went on strike reacting to a plan to turn the Boston Police Department into a union. Violence and protests erupted in Boston which had Coolidge call in the Massachusetts National Guard to settle things down. In the 1920 presidential election, Coolidge ran as Senator Warren G. Harding’s running mate in the general election where they both won.

However, President Harding would die from heart problems and pneumonia two years into his first term so Coolidge had to take over the presidency. Coolidge gave a speech to a joint session of Congress on December 6, 1923 where he said he supported most of Harding’s policies and promises to act on them. His speech was the first presidential speech broadcasted over radios in households. The Washington Naval Treaty was signed and established one month into his term and he signed the Immigration Act restricting European immigrants from coming to America, but he was unhappy the bill excluded Japanese immigrants. President Coolidge also signed the 1924 bill that gave all Native Americans citizenship status in the United States.

Coolidge ran in the 1924 presidential election with General Charles Dawes of Ohio as his running mate. They would both win the election as President Coolidge would serve a full one-year term in the White House. During his second term, Coolidge did nothing specific with foreign affairs or civil rights and he was often criticized for his actions in handling the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. Some of his Cabinet members were even riddled with scandals, but he mostly kept the ones from his previous term. He made one judicial appointment to the Supreme Court and that nominee’s name was Harlan F. Stone, a Wall Street lawyer that graduated with Coolidge from Amherst College. He declined a third term and his successor was his United States Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover. Coolidge retired from politics and died on January 5th, 1933.

The presidential museum includes exhibits on his early life, his career as a lawyer, and his political aspirations and accomplishments. Exhibits focus largely on his time as President. The museum began as a small collection in 1920 when Coolidge started donating items and led to the creation of a special room in the Forbes Library in the decades that followed before growing into its current state. The museum includes portraits of Coolidge and his wife, Grace, and many unique items related to his time in office. The research library offers a variety of archival sources and collections and is open to the public during regular hours and by appointment.

“About the CCPLM,” Forbes Library. Accessed June 9th 2021. https://forbeslibrary.org/coolidge/about-the-ccplm/

“Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum,” Atlas Obscura. Accessed June 9th 2021. https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/calvin-coolidge-presidential-library-and-museum-at-the-forbes-library