
Coolidge was born in Plymouth Notch, Vermont. He became a lawyer and gradually worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state. He came to nationat attention as a Governor for his conduct during the Boston Police Strike of 1919 and earned a reputation as a man of decisive action. He was elected as the 29th Vice President in 1920 on a ticket with Warren Harding and succeeded to the Presidency upon Harding's sudden death in 1923. He was elected to the Presidency in his own right in 1924 and gained a reputation as a small-government conservative, and also as a man of few words.
Coolidge restored public confidence in the White House after news of the scandals of his predecessor's administration broke, and he left office with considerable popularity. Coolidge left office during a time of widespread prosperity, but when the stock market crashed at the beginning of his successor's term, many criticized Coolidge for his style of hands-off government. His reputation underwent a renaissance during the administration of Ronald Reagan for his small-government style, but the final grade of his presidency is still divided depending on whether the person grading it approves of his reduction of the size of government programs of whether that person believes that the federal government should be more involved in regulating and controlling the economy.
After his presidency, Coolidge retired to Northampton to a mansion known as "The Beeches." He kept a motorboat boat on the Connecticut River which he got a lot of use from. He also served as chairman of the non-partisan Railroad Commission, as honorary president of the American Foundation for the Blind, as a director of New York Life Insurance Company, as president of the American Antiquarian Society, and as a trustee of Amherst College.
Coolidge published his autobiography in 1929 and wrote a syndicated newspaper column entitled "Calvin Coolidge Says," from 1930 to 1931. In 1932, with the defeat of Herbert Hoover seen as a foregone conclusion, some Republicans tried drafting Coolidge to run, but he was not interested. Coolidge made several radio addresses in support of Hoover during the campaign.

Coolidge died suddenly of a heart attack at The Beeches at 12:45 p.m., January 5, 1933. He is buried beneath a simple headstone in Notch Cemetery, Plymouth Notch, Vermont, where the family home is maintained.