Calvin Coolidge: The Silent President

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Source/Further reading:
Miller Center, in-depth overview: millercenter.org/president/co...
History Today, overview: www.historytoday.com/archive/...
New Yorker, the case for Coolidge (cached): webcache.googleusercontent.co...
NY Times, Coolidge, the great refrainer: www.nytimes.com/2013/02/17/bo...
NY Times, 1933 obituary for Coolidge: archive.nytimes.com/www.nytim...
Atlantic, Coolidge and depression: www.theatlantic.com/magazine/...
Politico, how Coolidge survived the Harding-era scandals: www.politico.com/magazine/sto...
History, Boston Police Strike of 1919: www.history.com/this-day-in-h...
Coolidge letter written after death of his son: www.shapell.org/manuscript/pr...

[@Biographics]

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[@kingkuroneko7253]

Yo

[@christopherhoffer6643]

Can you do a video on António Salazar the Portuguese dictator who ruled Portugal for 48 years.

[@v.emiltheii-nd.8094]

Feeling bad for Cal, Abe and Pierce. No parents should bury their child.

[@Bibibosh]

Does thing guy even sleep. Or does he have multiple clones on multiple KZbin channels.

[@IronhawkRED]

Hate to be the one to tell you, but brother Calvin Coolidge is a member of Phi Gamma Delta, from his days at Amherst. Fiji readily acknowledges this and even includes Cal's rather famous quote on Persistence as part of it's culture.

[@HerpaDerp999]

This is the best Calvin Coolidge story by far: He and the First Lady were given seperate tours of a farm once. The first lady noticed that there were many hens but only 1 rooster. She asked why only 1 rooster and the farmer told her thats all he needed and he "serviced" a hen several times a day. She replied with "Several times a day? Tell that to the President". He did indeed tell it to the President, who famously replied: "With the same hen every day? No? Tell that to the First Lady". LOL

[@cjm8160]

from Amity Schlaes - The Forgotten Man

[@azia5051]

He really roasted her, even thou “roasting” was not a thing in 1920s. Lol

[@legendswordch6220]

Clap them hen 😂

[@dabtican4953]

The coolidge effect

[@ToxicBottledOstrichNostrils]

I was there. She got a swift backhand that is commonly left out of the story

[@usefulpineapple4538]

It’s honestly a mood that he got up, took the oath of office, then just went back to bed.

[@Athrun82]

Not to mention gets sworn in by his own dad since he was the nearest lawyer.

[@josi4251]

John Kennedy was in bed because he got tired of watching election returns. He woke up when he heard running in the leaves outside his window. He figured out that was the Secret Service agents newly assigned to him, so they knew before he did. (I'm not sure if he got out of bed, but he probably did.)

[@MalloryNewcomb]

I mostly caught the “took the oath of office then just went back to bed” and thought maybe he had skipped all the fanfare of a party. Which would’ve been cool… but the reality is even cooler. Smart move though since he was gonna need to be well rested for the job he just took on!

[@TanzDerSchatten]

It would have been even more epic if he'd stayed in his pajamas for the swearing in.

[@usefulpineapple4538]

@@TanzDerSchatten I would of just stayed in my pajamas in that situation

[@dogwithhat947]

His son died while he was in office, his wife cheated on him, and he got blamed for the depression by the same people who once loved him… it is truly a sad story

[@jamesricker3997]

The Depression was the result of his short-sighted economic policies

[@venus-pq5gg]

@@jamesricker3997 Cap

[@arminthegreat3729]

@@jamesricker3997 Cap

[@Darthdesmond]

@@jamesricker3997 ah yes the global depression was due to Coolidge got it.

[@jackcarraway4707]

@@jamesricker3997 WRONG! Despite what schools want you to believe, free markets DID NOT cause the Great Depression! The Federal Reserve was the cause of the Great Depression. The New Deal made it last the entire 30's.

[@shadowking1380]

“The things I don’t say never get me into trouble” oh man those are some wise words

[@wendywarrior2264]

Yea, I should listen to that advice! Lol

[@CompaDeArranke]

Idk about that... Its like someone said. When they came for them, I kept silent (or stood by) then my neighbors, then my family, and when they came for me, no one was around to help. Paraphrasing but something like that. Depends on the context but I think right now, politically, it reflects bad on the previous administration that didn't come out in real time, but now are popping out books to line their own pockets. Stephanie Grisham, John Bolton, etc etc

[@tubecrazy3000]

Nowadays if you don’t say BLM or don’t talk about the pros of the vaccine I do get in trouble….

[@nerdguru86]

@@tubecrazy3000 what?

[@ddandymann]

That's also why politicians never answer questions in modern politics.

[@ethanramos4441]

“Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has always solve the problems of the human race” Calvin Coolidge

[@rodrigoodonsalcedocisneros9266]

Exactly, he was a quiet one, but his speeches were tremendous. Vastly underrated speaker, he trumps most of the famous ones.

[@snappygrandpappy]

that might be the most profound thing i have ever read

[@Apple_Teck]

One of my favorite quotes.

[@dylan-5287]

Damn that's powerful. Just ordered a chalkboard with that quote off Amazon. That's got to be one of the best quotes I've ever heard.

[@Ashannon888]

This is a horrible horrible saying. It means that a complete clueless moron who's persistent can will out over anything? That's incredibly dangerous and it doesn't matter what side of the political divide you fall on to see how it's true. If you're a left leaning person you have the anti-vaxxers and conspiracy theorists. If you're right leaning you have SWJ's. The only people who would be inspired by this are people with neither talent, genius or education.

[@StevenTorrey]

Calvin Coolidge sitting next to a lovely lady at a dinner; she said to him: "i bet someone that I could make you say more than three words." Coolidge responded, "You lose."

[@adrianafamilymember6427]

Cow MAN

[@tristramcoffin926]

When you didn't watch the video and think you are clever.

[@wendychavez5348]

That's pretty awesome!

[@williewonka6694]

I heard she was a reporter, so all the more reason to stay quiet!

[@brendanbrown3100]

He never said that.

[@tannerrichards8287]

Calvin Coolidge is one of the most underrated presidents ever, we could use another one of him

[@gfear24]

The Great Depression is why there should NEVER be another one of him.

[@dianapennepacker6854]

@@gfear24 This is why moderation is key. Too much or too little control is crucial. Especially in the long term. Also remember the POTUS is just one man. The three branches also play a part.

[@jmshmn10]

@@gfear24 Blaming the Great Depression on any one individual just shows a lack of understanding.

[@michaelbott4524]

@@gfear24 The Smoot Hawley tariff signed by Hoover was the main catalyst for the great depression.

[@Ehh.....]

I didn't fully agree with a lot of his stances but at the very least it felt like he was someone trying to do what he legitly thought was best for everyone with his power. Which is more than I can say about any president within like the last half century. Also to blame him solely for the depression or to blame anyone one person or one thing in and outside government is absurd.

[@TheModernPioneer]

To me, Coolidge came the closest to Washington’s original vision of what the office of President should be. Sometimes good presidents come in uneventful times, but still executed their job very well. Top 10 President of all time, in my opinion.

[@S0P2024]

Top three!

[@TheModernPioneer]

@@S0P2024 to me that would be Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson.

[@S0P2024]

@@TheModernPioneer ok

[@S0P2024]

@@TheModernPioneer for me it will be Coolidge, Washington, and Lincoln

[@FourScoreSevenYearsAgo]

@@TheModernPioneer Who is all in the top 10 list?

[@vinny9988]

The fact he fought corruption instantly makes him my favorite

[@TheGhostOfFredZeppelin]

That's probably why todays politicians don't care for him

[@billybob9179]

I'm pretty sure he didn't fight corruption and was in fact corrupt. Corruption was rampant during this time until FDR.

[@jamesricker3997]

You realize how corrupt the 1920s were?

[@bryansylvestrew5024]

He didn't fight corruption as a whole as much as he just let the already forming mob have their way with the most public offenders ( in the public sector), his hands off style of government just meant the corruption just moved to private sector cause that's where the resources and thus the money was going ,with only a few who knew how to be covert about it staying in Coolidge's circle. Private can get just as corrupt and nasty as public if not kept in check.

[@themanwithnonamecalledwyat7575]

@@billybob9179 lol

[@musicalDrebin]

honestly i don't think i'd mind a president who keeps his mouth shut, and tries to interfere in our lives as little as possible

[@Evenst3vn]

You must love Biden then, the dude barely speaks publicly lmao

[@musicalDrebin]

@@Evenst3vn minus the whole 'interfere with our lives as little as possible'

[@liker-qd4fz]

@@Evenst3vn Interviere as little , but COMPETENTLY. You understand?

[@John-sk8cm]

Your comment gets even better with each passing day 👌🤗

[@edarcuri182]

My favorite reply, attributed to Coolidge, is in response to a question asked about his greatest accomplishment. "I minded my own business."

[@quicklern818]

My favorite quote of all time is from Calvin Coolidge: Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.

[@dscharlesworth1]

That's a great quote, and he was absolutely correct.

[@evanmoore3114]

“I feel I no longer fit in with these times.” Calvin Coolidge

[@TheKing60210]

Gotta love his honesty

[@billolsen4360]

He should have learned how to dance the Charleston, then.

[@TheWizardGamez]

the stoic gigachad

[@GreenGlo1991]

The loss of the son is such a sad thing to me. I didn’t know this. It’s terrible for a parent to bury a child.

[@billolsen4360]

I read about Jimmy Stewart losing his son in Vietnam. So sad, because Mr Stewart had to deal with Battle Fatigue at seeing so many of his fellow Air Corps pilots & crew shot down over Europe, so he lived with survivors' guilt, probably got a lot worse after he lost his son in war.

[@poletooke4691]

A friggin blister. That's just insane. Poor kid

[@scottdodge6979]

Incredibly common back then. People had a very different relationship with death.

[@charliesschroedinger]

I did a 22 page report on President Coolidge when I was in 6th grade. Loved when he famously removed all the reporters' questions and replaced them all with the same question... "how is my dog?" 🤣🤣🤣 early gangsta

[@theFez_]

Based.

[@charliesschroedinger]

@@theFez_ ? Ummm.. ok... sure. Whatever the f that means

[@libertas-goddessofliberty5664]

@@charliesschroedinger lol I'm young and I still don't understand what based means.

[@charliesschroedinger]

@@libertas-goddessofliberty5664 I'm old AF... if it weren't for my boys in their 20's... I wouldn't even know wtf AF means.... OR wtf 🤣🤣🤣

[@christianthompson7915]

@@libertas-goddessofliberty5664 you don’t know what based means? it’s common on subreddits like r/pcm

[@johnstevenson9956]

To be President of the United States and not be hated by history, is a major accomplishment. To be loved by history is even more so. But to be ignored by history, that takes a special talent.

[@naftalibendavid]

This is heartbreaking and says something about how we handle grief and bereavement. I am so grateful for antibiotics, too.

[@mangot589]

Me too. They haven’t been around that long either. I knew a woman whose 5 year old died of strep throat, because they weren’t around.

[@ernestareheart4238]

They've been around for almost 80 years.

[@Qenton]

My high school history teacher was fascinated by him. "He would sit every afternoon on the porch of the white house watching the traffic" Funny though, even though that history class was in the middle of the Regan Era, I never heard he had a picture of him in the white house.

[@joeystrittmatter6890]

Lmfao Idk why but your picture reminds me of Tom from Myspace

[@stevem.o.1185]

Well of course he did. Cable hadn't been invented yet.

[@billolsen4360]

@@stevem.o.1185 Cable news, you mean? We had cable TV in 1967 in a small town in NE Colorado and it wasn't new even then.

[@_TheMemeMachine_]

@@billolsen4360Wow you’re dense

[@MadDog6945]

Coolidge was an extremely underrated President, yet he was one of the best. Humble, understated and soft-spoken, Coolidge was still a powerful figure that left our country much better than he found it. He’s an example that all future Presidents should follow.

[@MadDog6945]

Btw, he’s my 2nd cousin thrice removed.

[@sonshi12nsp]

He was bloody hopeless and just slept in office.

[@matthewhedrichjr.5445]

@@MadDog6945 good for u. He’s my Eigth favorite president. A libertarian president to serve, fiscally conservative but social liberal in most ways.

[@lizdierdorf]

as someone who lives with Major Depressive Disorder, I can relate to Mr. Coolidge. there was a time after my mother died in and before I got treatment where I also slept for almost 18 hours at a time and alternating with nights with no sleep at all, I could “work” and “function” but I was destroying me and my father. Thankfully it is the 21st century and there’s less stigma about mental health and treatment isn’t so hard to get.

[@johnboy4025]

Wish we had a guy like Coolidge in office now. Someone with good policy, little drama, and stays out of our lives

[@bigdopamine9343]

Like Biden? Or do you consider trump to be drama free with good policies?

[@taylorbeckett9686]

I'm not a fan of his policies. Would much prefer a FDR myself

[@ddylla85]

@@taylorbeckett9686 ick

[@jasonzielsdorf7080]

@@taylorbeckett9686 Hell no. FDR was a jerk

[@TheManInUrPC]

@@bigdopamine9343 Biden politically is the polar opposite of Calvin. On top of that, Biden speaks plenty, and his words are gibberish. Coolidge spoke very little, and all his words were well thought out if spoken. Trump’s policies aren’t exactly aligned with Coolidge either, but Congress shares blame in part of why Trump never saw spending cuts with tax cuts. However, it can definitely be agreed that Trump spoke way too much also. And with that excessive speaking, comes words that one would definitely take back in retrospect. Trump is more like Jackson (Not great, but served for people as any populist would). Biden is just so bad that he frankly can’t be compared to any previous terrible president in history. A guy like Coolidge honestly would be the right guy for America right about now though. Could get the budget under control, stop the insane money printing, and the media would have no drama to feast on while he would be in office.

[@jasonlong8754]

Coolidge was awesome. Reasonable man. Quiet. Funny as hell. "I suppose I shall have to.".. Then being sworn in was no big deal. Back to bed. "You lose." is a classic. Touring a chicken farm, Mrs. Coolidge was informed that the roosters mate multiple times a day. "Make sure you tell the President that when he comes through. Later, when Coolidge came through and was told that the first lady wanted him to know that the roosters mate multiple times a day, Coolidge supposedly replied," Yeah, but it's not with the same hen. " The government was viewed as nothing but a referee between the states by Coolidge. He had spending under control. Avoided war at all costs. He worked through everything, doing the job he never sought out. The loss of his son was more than most would get through. One of my favorite presidents. Good stuff, Simon.

[@Berengier817]

As a liberal, I can respect a true conservative like Calvin.

[@johnboy4025]

Much like Conservatives and Republicans like Harry Truman… I do

[@robertanderson4602]

Yup. Sleeping and letting million suffer from national disasters as cooperate interested fleece America and set up the great depression. True respect 🤣

[@lewisallan9963]

@@robertanderson4602 did we watch the same video? The guy was clearly suffering from mental illness......depression. My depressive period as a teenager made it impossible for me to work well at school, and that was just school this guy had to run a country....and he didn't do a disasterous job. Yeah the great depression happened but nobody saw that coming, heinsight says of course we should have seen it coming but that's cos we have all the information. As for his failing to act with the flooding I can understand his logic of wanting to make every smaller area of thr US self reliant....he took that as meaning with disaster relief aswell, too far yes but not neccesarily a un-noble cause. I'm pretty centrist but I respect his want to limit government and I think that's what the OP was referring too aswell.

[@bmac4]

Pretty sure a liberal would consider anti-lynching laws to be a federally important enough thing that it goes beyond "States Rights" lol

[@isaackolman2861]

@@bmac4 you are forgetting this was in 1920, not exactly the most equal society

[@nerdtalk1789]

I’m sure you didn’t leave it out on purpose, but it always makes me upset that nobody talks about his involvement with the Indian citizenship act of 1924, it was in my opinion one of the most important pieces of legislation for civil rights

[@slickdarulah8229]

It is interesting during our times of increased sensitivity on rascism. You would think he would gain in popularity, maybe because he wasn't in the current party that controls everything, wall st, tech, media and universities. I heard Wilson and F DR and LBJ were very rascist, and tight with the kkk. Where calvin fought to stop lynchings and respected by the native americans.

[@nerdtalk1789]

@@slickdarulah8229 I truly believe that if it wasn’t for the Great Depression and WWII, Calvin Coolidge would be seen as the start of the modern civil rights movement rather than Harry S Truman. Coolidges speeches about the rights of African Americans are so inspiring especially when you realize they come from the 1920s. I highly recommend you go read them.

[@hakeemfullerton8645]

One of my favorite underrated presidents in US history, thank you biographics for making this video

[@mtvdvm4940]

He was Indeed one of the best politicians in American history.

[@alexlocatelli2876]

He was also quite the supporter of racial equality for his times, especially compared to some of his predecessors.

[@hakeemfullerton8645]

@@alexlocatelli2876 Agreed

[@randallrona9618]

Fun Fact: Ronald Reagan was asked who was his favorite US President and he replied that Calvin Coolidge was his favorite President. When he was the President, he had a picture of Coolidge in the White House.

[@walf6572]

I remember doing a school report about Calvin Coolidge when I was in 3rd grade, with no clue I would end up with a personality so much like him a decade later

[@liker-qd4fz]

Emperor Calvin II

[@christianmendozatapia295]

Are you lying right now?

[@billolsen4360]

Who was that? Ike?

[@chasegilmond5637]

Calvin Coolidge is definitely one of my favorite presidents. Wilson is easily the worst president yet

[@Talisguy]

I don't know about that: it's *really* hard to be a worse president than Buchanan or Andrew Johnson.

[@Talisguy]

@@night6724 "Got the country in WW1" I mean. Of all the things you can say about Wilson, "he was way too eager to get involved in WW1" certainly isn't one of them. And he didn't make the first move, either - he got in because Germany tried to ally with Mexico in exchange for letting Mexico swipe parts of the US. And "sitting around twiddling your thumbs while the country lurches towards civil war and only ever getting involved to shore up the institution of slavery and aid the secessionists in the south" and "doing everything you can to torpedo the legal establishment of civil rights for black people" are so hard to beat that I don't think any President has managed it.

[@loreleimcann]

Wilson was truly the worst - and we are still suffering the consequences.

[@raptorfromthe6ix833]

I don’t think there is a bad president all have faults and successes

[@brendano4196]

It's either Wilson or Biden.

[@IndieGamerChick]

He actually had a playful side. He was the first President who had electronic buttons that paged aides and Secret Service. He used to push all the buttons on the desk or set fire alarms and watch the Secret Service, Firefighters, etc, scramble around, laughing his ass off. When he died, Dorthy Parker said "how can they tell?" Edit: oh, and he HATED Hoover. He wanted anyone but him to get the nomination, but Hoover was a Trump-like celebrity. He told the head of the party "For six years, that man has given me unsolicited advice, ALL OF IT BAD!"

[@pointly]

Calvin Coolidge: A humble man, a good President. Nothing more to say

[@billolsen4360]

Yup

[@jamesleggett9644]

Calvin would approve

[@georgesouthwick7000]

“I have never been hurt by something I did not say”. - Calvin Coolidge

[@ignitionfrn2223]

1:30 - Chapter 1 - The quiet american 4:55 - Chapter 2 - No right to strike 8:40 - Mid roll ads 10:05 - Chapter 3 - A den of thieves 13:35 - Chapter 4 - Monuments of virtue 17:00 - Chapter 5 - The price to pay 20:15 - Chapter 6 - End of an era

[@henry7001]

Thanks man

[@completesentences2125]

“It’s far more important to stop bad bills than it is to pass good bills”. -Calvin Coolidge

[@peter-radiantpipes2800]

I cannot imagine losing a child and continuing on working anywhere … that’s so sad and frustratingly helpless prior to antibiotics. I’d be terrified to go outside with today’s medicine. I’d be dead too because of asthma anyway.

[@kalynstalinski8375]

Sadly I know too well the feeling. But since landlords and the electric company have little to no sympathy, not much choice, and honestly work helps distract me from the grief.

[@stansmith4054]

No you wouldn't. Asthma was treatable with Belladonna alkaloids in the early 1900's. By Coolidge's time, even more advancements were made.

[@peter-radiantpipes2800]

@@stansmith4054 yeah I would. I’m a 10 outn of 10 in asthma. Also had severe eczema. Got system staff infections as a kid a lot. Regular asthma people sure.. 1 inhaler a week… no

[@StefanMedici]

@@kalynstalinski8375 Unfortunately I too know the loss. You're right doing stuff helps, but sometimes I'll hear a song or a memory will flash and the pain is beyond compare. I ran on adrenaline for the first couple of months, there was much to organise and so many of his young friends having trouble dealing with what he did. Then the adrenaline faded, and my favourite foods tasted like ash, and... But we choose to carry on and time doesn't heal but other things in life come up to focus your attention on.

[@ananyagudapati8313]

Did you know that Joe Biden was sworn in to the U.S. Senate by his sons' bedside in a Wilmington hospital because his sons survived a horrific car crash that killed their mother and sister?

[@westoneuler4065]

One thing i loved about coolidge is that he actually would use his veto power. He knew what so many politicians today don’t: that eliminating bad bills is the most efficient tax break a president can give the people.

[@padawanmage71]

One has to wonder when Reagan placed the portrait of Coolidge in the office, how many in his staff went, ‘Who’s that?’ ;)

[@Eye_of_a_Texan]

The most common reason Cal cited for vetoing a bill, of which he did quite often, "That's not part of the Federal Govt's job." In a sea of corruption and legacy hunting, Cal just wanted to keep the govt from overstepping itself. The govt never gives power back to the people. That should make us incredibly hesitant to give it any power. Even if used well now, it will inevitably be used to ill effect later at some point.

[@CptMoroni35]

My God…… I wish like hell we had a President who believed in stripping down the federal government to bare bones like Coolidge did. In a sense, he believed in keeping the federal government restrained the way the Constitution meant it to be.

[@micahwright5901]

@planningperson laidbackdeep Which is better than excessive spending if we’re being honest. I’ll take Coolidge over any politician who spends over the budget.

[@fukkitful]

Yeah, states should govern themselves.

[@scottlemiere2024]

@@fukkitful great idea until another state does something your state doesn't like, say something like voting for the other candidate for President, then it sues the other state for running itself the way it wants to. Like what "states rights" politicians did in Texas in 2020 because it didn't like the election results in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.

[@Mr.CliffysWorld]

That was very nicely done, Calvin Coolidge was an honest virtuous man and you portrayed him thusly instead of turning it into a hatchet job, thank you for that, it's nice in this day and age to hear a story, well the story, of an honest individual, positive story . Well crafted, definitely positive. Yet honest enough to reveal the darker things in his life. As the story wrapped up I caught myself being swept alone with a wave of compassion that' ran very deep and very wide for an individual I had never personally met.

[@John-sk8cm]

What a refreshingly heartfelt comment. ❤️👌

[@calvinandthecoalcars6188]

My grandfather was named after him (born in 1927) and I was named after my grandpa. Thank you for the brief history of this president!

[@scottlemiere2024]

Your grandfather was named "and the Coal Cars?"

[@archer_wsk1408]

@@scottlemiere2024 😂😂😂😂

[@williewonka6694]

Well Congratulations!

[@v.emiltheii-nd.8094]

Calvin Coolidge's last Words were a Good Morning to a carpenter.

[@jackmason5278]

Two whole words?! The guy was getting verbose.

[@v.emiltheii-nd.8094]

@@jackmason5278 Nope, 3.

[@whytho2714]

@@v.emiltheii-nd.8094 Good morning, Robert

[@v.emiltheii-nd.8094]

@@whytho2714 Ah, there it is.

[@USAR8888]

I just read the book "Coolidge" by Amity Shlaes and then came upon this video. I knew nothing about Coolidge before, but I've been fascinated ever since. It is a crime how underrated this guy is.

[@AdamKlownzinger]

Coolidge might genuinely be my favorite President. Just a guy. And the only president ever to make the government smaller!

[@familykaplan1341]

Sadly, contributing to beginning the Depression

[@abdullahfahad53]

@@familykaplan1341that’s not true. In fact Franklin Roosevelts policies prolonged the Great Depression and the reason the us finally got out of it was due to ww2

[@hakeemfullerton8645]

Hopefully Biographics with be able to make a video on these former presidents in the foreseeable future: Grover Cleveland Andrew Jackson Chester A. Arthur Woodrow Wilson John Adams Thomas Jefferson James Madison James Monroe William Howard Taft James Garfield John Quincy Adams

[@chrisyanover1777]

Woodrow Wilson would be a good Biographics

[@joeyfields132]

A Biographics on Andrew Jackson would be an interesting one

[@shakia_says]

Woodrow was racist there Ya go

[@thedgzgames427]

@@chrisyanover1777 Yeah maybe with the the title of (one of) the worst president ever.

[@chrisyanover1777]

@@thedgzgames427 OMG! Let me guess, You are a Glenn Beck fan?

[@ieuanbriers]

Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes! I knew it was only a matter of time. Couldn't have the gap between Warren G. Harding and Herbert Hoover. I've been looking forward to this.

[@SingingWolf77]

Calvin Coolidge is my new favourite president. The dude deserves respect, even in retrospect. Thanks for the video, Simon!

[@timrobinson7373]

The 2 stories I like about Coolidge are these. 1. He got to meet in 1925 George Halas and Red Grange of the Chicago Bears. Calvin was not up on any pop culture of the day shook their hands and said it was very nice to meet them he always liked animal acts. 2. At a dinner party at the WH a woman came up to him and said she made a bet with a friend that she could get Calvin to say more then 3 words. Calvin looked her in the eyes and said TOU LOSE

[@brendanbrown3100]

Sorry - he never said that. It’s made up!

[@XiasIV]

​ "Source?" "Trust me bro."

[@dannoyes4493]

Coolidge was the best President of the 20th Century. He proved that freedom and limited government are the essentials necessary to forge the path to happiness and prosperity. History gives him no credit, instead blaming him for the utter and complete ineptitude of Franklin Roosevelt

[@ivanceltichr]

Coolidge was one of our greatest presidents. Why? Because he kept his mouth shut and did his job according to the Constitution. Let's go, Brandon.

[@JR7noir]

As every president should do it

[@calvincoolidge3406]

Thank you for this video, I really liked it

[@javieryllanes5897]

Wow its an honor mr president

[@joshwhite5407]

You talk too much

[@legendswordch6220]

Dude you say more than 3 word tho 😂

[@TheRealCalvinCoolidge]

Who is that?

[@memazov6601]

Calvin Coolidge taught one and all Frugality

[@Ecosse57]

One of the most inspiring quotes in my opinion: "If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction can not lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers." ~Calvin Coolidge July 5, 1926

[@Athrun82]

I think Coolidge also said about his succesor: "i never heard a good advice from him during his time as one of my ministers" Ouch

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

True.

[@cha5]

I remember hearing an old Will Rogers radio broadcast in which he made fun of Coolidge’s low key persona. A fascinating account of the man’s life, Well done Simon.

[@billolsen4360]

I recall that someone told poet Gertrude Stein in 1933 that Coolidge had just died and she responded, "How can they tell?"

[@nileshkumaraswamy2711]

coolidge was probably the most politically fascinating president. He was very supportive of civil rights for African Americans and native Americans but also bought into the nativist backlash against asian immigration.

[@davidpumpkinsjr.5108]

I'm with Cal here. If I was woken up in the middle of the night to be sworn in as president, my first act would be to go back to bed and deal with the new job in the morning.

[@mistervacation23]

Like Calvin Coolidge once said, everybody complains about the weather but nobody does anything about it.

[@user-ej4bh6co3j]

Well nobody can do anything about the weather…. 🥴

[@ruralstar]

Thank you for this insightful portrait of Coolidge. I have been to the Plymouth Notch location of his boyhood. There is an extensive living museum there. It's worth a visit. These days people talk a lot about the 'good ole day'. There is something to be said for Coolidge's brand of conservatism. And something to be learned from the emotional suppression that became so crippling to him on a personal level. Instead of ignoring Coolidge people should learn from his triumphs and mistakes. His approach to the world was rooted in logic. Simple and straightforward not easily swayed by greed and self-interest.

[@areiaaphrodite]

Damn. There's a place named with his last name but even though he was President, it still wasn't for him. That's cold

[@johnwilson1094]

Coolidge once said "Just because someone should do something about something doesn't mean that the Federal Government should do it."

[@ekki6820]

Another top-notch Biographics. 10/10. Keep up the brilliant work, Simon. You god-sent gift.

[@susancohen9534]

Simon left off some very important things Coolidge did while in office. Like give a half a million dollars in grant money to Howard University to start a medical school, and then give the commencement address the following year in 1924. It seems Simon has an ax to grind with effective, conservative US presidents. He can go pound sand.

[@brianstricker9739]

I love Presidential biographies if only as a way to also learn about the issues of the day, how they reacted and led (or didn’t). This may be the most concise, content rich and ‘even handed’ portrayal of a man I knew nothing about, but all of the sudden have an incredible respect for…. Great work! Thanks.

[@michaelsadams524]

I did not know that Coolidge and his wife lost their son during his presidency. Your handling of this delicate subject was handled with such care and thoughtfulness. Thank you.

[@bradlyrose343]

4/5 of the world's problems could be solved by sitting still and being quiet. Calvin Coolidge

[@corystephenson9270]

Calvin Coolidge is definitely in my personal top 3 best presidents ever! Like this video mentioned, his idea of how the federal government should run things as far as how much power/influence it should actually have within the common affairs and livelihoods of the states and their citizens, is as close to what the original forefathers/framers that created and established this country's foundation/blueprints for how it should all be ran, as any president has ever gotten! I would consider Coolidge, by today's standards, to be America's first unofficial Libertarian president!

[@do-ol2540]

Morning coffee is always better with a Biographics video. But I’m still hoping for them to cover Woodrow Wilson or Philippe Pétain.

[@Sir_Glass]

Why not both?

[@quitsendymion8619]

Wilson is bottom three presidents of all time

[@XxPoisonedSpiderxX]

i know very little about Pétain, that’d be a really good video

[@seanwright1264]

Wilson is at the bottom. Coolidge is at the top.

[@litlabproductions2043]

@@quitsendymion8619 why?

[@legendofnone3037]

Him firing the striking police officers reminded me of when Reagan fired the striking TSA air traffic controllers. One of the few jobs you cannot strike one. Good of him for doing that

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

Agreed.

[@heyelliew]

"Keep Cool with Coolidge"

[@williambabbitt1204]

A double colonoscopy?! That is the best comment I have ever heard in my life. It gives you a visual picture that would make even the wild man shout, I give up. Thanks Simon.

[@donbrynelsen2157]

Alice Roosevelt Longworth's husband House Speaker Nicholas Longworth reputedly said to Coolidge that he had a bet with a colleague that he could get Coolidge to say more than two words. "You Lose" Coolidge replied.

[@jackmason5278]

Is that accurate information? I had heard that it was a woman at a party who approached Coolidge and revealed her bet. He replied "You Lose".

[@lawrencelewis2592]

@@jackmason5278 His wife wasn't feeling well so Cal went to church alone. Returning home, his wife asked, "What did the minister talk about?" Cal said, "Sin." His wife asked, "What did he say about it?" "He was against it."

[@jamesclendon4811]

If you watched the video you would have heard Simon repeat that anecdote, though without the attribution. Another often repeated story, probably equally apocryphal, has someone (Alice Longworth? Dorothy Parker?), upon being told of Coolidge's death, saying "How could they tell?"

[@KurtJohn3]

One of the top 5 US Presidents. Coolidge is the last President to reduce the debt.

[@jamesclendon4811]

I'm not arguing, but didn't Clinton accomplish a balanced budget, a comparable achievement?

[@brianwaloweek6770]

@@jamesclendon4811 Clinton and Congress used social security surplus to accomplish that

[@jamesclendon4811]

@@brianwaloweek6770 So... the answer to my question is "Yes, he did"?

[@KurtJohn3]

@@jamesclendon4811 Clinton had a balance budget/surplus for two years, but Clinton added to our National Debt over eight years. Coolidge reduced our debt during his time as President.

[@jamesclendon4811]

@@KurtJohn3 Fair enough. So Coolidge's is a more impressive achievement.

[@ddylla85]

His response to the police strike reminds me of Reagan's response to air traffic controllers going on strike.

[@jamesricker3997]

He had to call the Army because he could not trust the National Guard

[@scottlemiere2024]

And because of Reagan's response to that, truck drivers, pilots, police, fire and EMS can not legally go on a work-stoppage strike. Which brought us the "intentional slowdown" strike that police use whenever they aren't getting exactly what they want from cities. The type of strike where cops stop enforcing the law unless they are being watched by reporters then blame the uptick in crime on the city government not supplying them with everything they need. It's how a city with an average income of $32,000 a year has cops with starting pay of $60,000 a year. Because even during a recession, while everyone else is taking forced, unpaid, furloughs and pay cuts, the cops are getting 5% pay increases.

[@jeffmiller3499]

There's a ton of your videos I haven't seen, but I've seen my fair share. Idk if it's because I admire and relate to president Coolidge. In my opinion this is one of your best ones, great job.

[@lbreithart]

This is one of the best episodes I have seen.... Thank you Simon

[@gmgz]

Coolidge is my favorite president. He's the closest we'll ever get to a libertarian president

[@DogeickBateman]

The best peacetime president

[@twinboeing]

Why? HE was a republican. That's racism, fascism, nazi-adjacent, etc. Republicans are bad, 'kay?

[@lizzdoe2821]

This was an awesome video!! I wish all this information was more known and treasured!!

[@josephlannert969]

I always found it interesting how Taft managed to bust a boatload more trusts than his predecessor even though it never got the rightful recognition because it was done via relatively discreet negotiations instead of brazenly with "a big stick"

[@breezy3054]

“Left him 40 acres” god I wish I was gifted tht much land now

[@MalloryNewcomb]

This is one of my favorite presidential Biographics… your presidential vids got me through my time in the lab this spring (as well as watching Johnny Depp’s trial… these served as a nice palate cleanser btw) Anyway! I enjoy being able to tell people about Silent Cal & why he was secretly awesome 🤓

[@zch7491]

I wish my name was as cool as Calvin Coolidge 😭

[@calvinandthecoalcars6188]

Mine almost is 😂

[@peterbriggs6042]

The Coolidge estate in Plymouth Vermont is one of the best monuments to a President in my opinion. As it is not just a house, but the hole town, frozen in time. And as some one who has been there several times, I would recommend it to any one, as it has something to offer for most any ones taste to enjoy.

[@trevor7962]

He's been my favorite President since reading "Coolidge" by Amity Schlaes. He was intelligent, thoughtful, and had a dry wit I admire. He is the exact opposite of modern politicians and essiantially told them to calm down and stop throwing money at every problem that came up. His near anonymity amonst most Americans and the ignorance of his achievements is a crying shame. The fact that textbooks credit a tyrant like FDR for "ending" the Great Depression but ignore Coolidge makes me want to cry.

[@savillerhume]

So good. Well done. I knew about his son's death and how it took all the glory out of the presidency for him but didn't know about his long term depression and the 4 hour days and sleeping. So sad.

[@john26razor340]

Such a fan of your videos. Helps me through boring hikes

[@joshwhite5407]

Take better hikes maybe

[@gerarduspoppel2831]

That poor man. No father should have to go through something like that

[@tristramcoffin926]

A chief executive in the mold of Calvin Coolidge is precisely what America needs right now.

[@danielkarmy4893]

You really bring these people to life who - here in the UK - we've only read about and heard about. Coolidge seems like he was a nice man, and one who wouldn't have dared to let others know about the turmoil that took so much of his liveliness away from him, in case he accidentally made them suffer too. It's easier to let people think, 'well, that's just the way he is' than to explain why that's the way you are, even if you're the most verbose person in the world - let alone when you're someone as quiet as him.

[@chrisyanover1777]

Coolidge does have a dam named after him here in Arizona. Although it is not as spectacular or as large as the Hoover or even Roosevelt Dam, it was still considered a engineering marvel at the time.. This also created a town named after him as well. Coolidge Arizona is known mostly as a mining town but due to urban sprawl, it will shortly become part of the Phoenix metropolitan area. After hearing the Biographics of Coolidge it is kind of fitting that the dam is the least exciting of all the great Arizona dams built in the Golden age of dam building! However the dam is instrumental for the boom in farming in Arizona in a place that gets less than 10 inches of rain a year.

[@pedenmk]

Aah love these videos you bring me. Many THANKS M8.

[@stevendaniel8126]

A very fair and honest biography. Thank you for your superb scholarship...

[@brandankankel5209]

That was fascinating! I didn’t realize how little I knew about this man.

[@Fourwedge]

Great video!

[@jamesclendon4811]

I think of Coolidge often. When it's suggested that the government should forgive all student loan debt I remember his reply to suggestions that the US should forgive foreign nations' debts from World War I: "They hired the money, didn't they?"

[@apeman9238]

Was Calvin Coolidge a cool leader?

[@robertortiz-wilson1588]

@@apeman9238 Yes he was.

[@bossf51]

Don't have time to read through all the comments but I live in Northampton, MA and there is a Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library. It's not a stand-alone like most of the others but there is one co-located with the Forbes Library, the main public library in the town.

[@rodneymcdermott5303]

Long been one of my favorite presidents. Thank you for doing this episode.

[@patrickperalta59]

for Calvin Coolidge "hello" was one word to many.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@missynicki86]

I really enjoyed this

[@ac2244]

Love your videos! Can you do one on General Custer? Find his story very interesting.

[@Rakeshgupta-iy7lm]

Hi can you make a video on Desmond T Doss the first conscientious objector to win the medal of honour and on which the movie Hacksaw Ridge by Mel Gibson is based on. Thank you.

[@thegoblin9387]

Excellent idea.

[@Nick-nv5fy]

Agreed

[@MetalManiac1911]

Alvin York as well!

[@jacktorrance6404]

Coolidge helped give us the roaring twenties. By the way, we didn't go through a depression because of that. Carpet bagging is what caused the depression. The Government caused the depression. FDR through his policies, furthered the depression. That's something you probably won't learn in your history class. Calvin Coolidge, a truly underrated president.