1. Grace Anna Coolidge was First Lady of the United States from 1923 to 1929 as the wife of the 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge.
154 Facts About Grace Coolidge
1. 2.
Grace Coolidge was previously the second lady of the United States from 1921 to 1923 and the first lady of Massachusetts from 1919 to 1921.
3.
Grace Coolidge moved to Northampton, Massachusetts, to teach at Clarke School for the Deaf.
4.
Grace Coolidge met Calvin Coolidge in Northampton before marrying him in 1905, and they had two sons together.
5.
Grace Coolidge stayed in Northampton to raise their children while her husband's political career progressed in Boston.
6.
Grace Coolidge was active as first lady, hosting thousands of guests each year, and she made regular public appearances in the president's stead.
7.
Grace Coolidge was a highly popular first lady and highly regarded for her ability to charm visitors.
8.
Grace Coolidge distanced herself from the politically active first ladies that preceded her, though she took quieter interest in helping women's groups and the deaf.
9.
Grace Coolidge felt restricted by the role of first lady; she believed that it took priority over her own interests, and she was subject to many rules imposed on her by her husband.
10.
Grace Coolidge was especially affected by the death of her younger son in 1924, though she interrupted her duties as White House hostess for only a few weeks.
11.
Grace Coolidge was an advocate of American involvement in World War II, and she lent her house to WAVES after the US entered the war.
12.
Grace Coolidge remained active on the board of Clarke School and in programs for the deaf until her death in 1957.
13.
Grace Coolidge Anna Goodhue was born in Burlington, Vermont, on January 3,1879, as the only child of Andrew Issachar Goodhue and Lemira Barrett Goodhue.
14.
Grace Coolidge was part of the family that was descended from the 1635 colonist William Goodhue.
15.
Grace Coolidge visited her maternal grandfather in the summers where she listened to his stories of the Civil War.
16.
Grace Coolidge was a Democrat, and with this experience he was appointed by Democratic President Grover Cleveland as a steamboat inspector later in 1886.
17.
Grace Coolidge's father built a new home for the family at 312 Maple Street in 1899.
18.
Grace Coolidge received private lessons in piano, speech, and singing.
19.
Grace Coolidge spoke at her school's commencement in 1897, delivering a speech she titled "Tramp Instinct".
20.
Grace Coolidge enrolled at the University of Vermont in 1897, then dropped out that November because of an eye condition and returned the following year.
21.
Grace Coolidge joined the glee club where she performed as a contralto, and she became her class's vice president in her sophomore year.
22.
Grace Coolidge graduated from the University of Vermont in 1902, and decided to teach at Clarke School for the Deaf.
23.
Grace Coolidge's mother opposed the decision, wishing that she would be a teacher at a local school.
24.
Grace Coolidge heard her laugh, and he subsequently asked his landlord, the school's steward Robert Weir, to introduce them.
25.
Calvin Grace Coolidge was active in politics and took her to a Republican Party event at city hall for their first date.
26.
Grace Coolidge got along well with his family and had their approval.
27.
Grace Coolidge said nothing during the trip, but Gale wanted the couple to stay together and said she had got along well with him.
28.
Grace Coolidge proposed to Goodhue in 1905 by telling her "I am going to be married to you".
29.
Calvin Grace Coolidge was elected to the Massachusetts legislature shortly after their first son was born, so he spent much of his time in the state capital, Boston.
30.
Grace Coolidge engaged in activities with them, teaching them baseball and constructing wooden cars for them to ride in.
31.
Grace Coolidge came to love baseball and was a fan of the sport for the rest of her life.
32.
Grace Coolidge had little involvement in his professional life and made no attempt to be present for it after one instance when he asked her not to attend a speech he gave at their church.
33.
Grace Coolidge's husband left the state legislature in 1909 and became mayor of Northampton the following year, giving him a job that let him return to his family each night.
34.
Grace Coolidge was elected to the state legislature again in 1911 and went back to Boston.
35.
Grace Coolidge was a regular participant in church activities while her husband was away and attended card parties with her friends, where she sewed while the others played.
36.
Grace Coolidge visited Washington, DC for the first time in 1912 when she chaperoned a trip for students of Northampton High School.
37.
Grace Coolidge is quoted as saying that she would one day return to the White House to play its piano, after a guard rebutted her attempt to do so.
38.
Grace Coolidge ascended in her own political career within the ranks of Pi Beta Phi.
39.
Grace Coolidge became president of the Western Massachusetts Alumnae Club in 1910, vice president of the fraternity's Alpha Province covering the entire East Coast in 1912, and president of the Alpha Province in 1915.
40.
Grace Coolidge went on a tour of California for Pi Beta Phi that year, but her trip ended early when she received a telegram informing her that her husband was a candidate to be lieutenant governor of Massachusetts.
41.
Grace Coolidge's husband was inaugurated as lieutenant governor on January 6,1916.
42.
When World War I began, Grace Coolidge worked with the other women in the community to conduct bond drives and support Red Cross, where she became co-chair of the Women's War Committee of Northampton.
43.
Grace Coolidge was responsible for entertaining in the capital at times and became popular among guests despite her lack of experience as a hostess.
44.
Grace Coolidge's husband had little time for her while he was governor, rarely visiting her in Northampton and sometimes having a staff member accompany her on his behalf during her visits to Boston.
45.
The Republican ticket won, and Calvin Grace Coolidge became vice president in 1921.
46.
Grace Coolidge moved to Washington DC with him and enrolled their sons in boarding school at Mercersburg Academy.
47.
Grace Coolidge appeared at ceremonial events with her husband, and her entertaining duties became much greater than they had been when she was the wife of a governor.
48.
Grace Coolidge received guests at her home each week, sometimes in numbers well beyond her capacity to address them all.
49.
Grace Coolidge made weekly calls to the wives of many important figures in Washington.
50.
On her first night as second lady, Coolidge dined with the celebrated general John J Pershing and the two bonded over their experiences as parents.
51.
Grace Coolidge was president of the Senate Wives Club as second lady, and through this she continued her activity supporting the Red Cross.
52.
Grace Coolidge took dancing classes, though her husband asked that she not be seen dancing in public and risk controversy.
53.
Grace Coolidge became responsible for Florence's hosting duties for a period of time in late 1922, after the first lady fell ill with life-threatening nephritis.
54.
Grace Coolidge became first lady of the United States on August 2,1923.
55.
Grace Coolidge believed that as first lady, she should invite as many guests as possible so everyone had an opportunity to meet with her.
56.
Grace Coolidge was responsible for a large staff, including eighteen servants, a valet, a maid, and other cleaning staff.
57.
Grace Coolidge's husband insisted on organizing White House events and catering, freeing her from a job that was typically expected of the first lady.
58.
Grace Coolidge complied with prohibition and refrained from serving alcohol at the White House, though she was unhappy that it caused societal disregard for the law.
59.
Grace Coolidge wrote and received many letters, corresponding with her friends and the public.
60.
Grace Coolidge replied to much of her mail personally, though she was assisted by her secretary.
61.
Grace Coolidge first worked with the Hardings' secretary Laura Harlan, but she gave the role to White House staff member Mary Randolph after Harlan's departure in 1925.
62.
Grace Coolidge often saved face for her husband and his curt social behavior by making jokes about it.
63.
Grace Coolidge bonded with her over their shared experiences as mothers.
64.
Grace Coolidge took to the queen's young son Nicholas, who felt out of place at the event until she had him sit with her at dinner.
65.
Grace Coolidge took on much of the social responsibilities of the president, which her husband saw as a distraction from his work, and she made regular appearances at public events and charity programs.
66.
Grace Coolidge typically allowed her photo to be taken, leading to frequent appearances in the newspapers.
67.
Grace Coolidge was careful not to speak over radio, despite the attempts of radio technicians to discreetly capture her voice whenever she stood near a microphone at a public event.
68.
Grace Coolidge became known for her love of sports, and her support for the Washington Senators and the Boston Red Sox earned her the moniker "First Lady of Baseball", and she was devoted to the baseball player Babe Ruth.
69.
Grace Coolidge then became the first of the first ladies to receive an honorary degree; she received an honorary LL.
70.
Grace Coolidge then received an honorary degree from George Washington University alongside her husband in 1929.
71.
Grace Coolidge was delighted when she became first lady of the United States, but she soon felt constrained by her role and the expectations that came with it.
72.
Grace Coolidge described a divide between her true self and her job, saying that her "personal likes and dislikes must be subordinated" to the first ladyship.
73.
When she was not tending to her responsibilities, Grace Coolidge spent her days shopping and taking miles-long walks.
74.
Grace Coolidge kept with her sewing and knitting, crafting some of her own dresses.
75.
Grace Coolidge enjoyed the large residential quarters in the White House and decorated it to her liking.
76.
Grace Coolidge asked her not to smoke in public, a rule which he had imposed on himself.
77.
Grace Coolidge often did not know her own schedule, being told shortly beforehand whether she was to accompany her husband to an event or that he had scheduled an appearance for her.
78.
Grace Coolidge had a penchant for animals and used her time in the White House to gather numerous pets, including several dogs and birds.
79.
Grace Coolidge received several wild animals as gifts and had them sent to live in the zoo, but she kept a raccoon, Rebecca.
80.
When Longworth discovered she was pregnant, Grace Coolidge was the first person she told outside of her family.
81.
Grace Coolidge chose the location, then regretted it when her husband was not happy.
82.
Grace Coolidge enjoyed attending film and theater events, and was a common sight at the National Theatre.
83.
Grace Coolidge was the first of the first ladies to listen to the radio in the White House.
84.
Grace Coolidge developed a blister on his foot while playing tennis a few days, which caused lethal blood poisoning.
85.
Grace Coolidge stopped hosting at the White House for several weeks while she grieved.
86.
Grace Coolidge became emotionally distant with her husband as neither were comfortable expressing their grief.
87.
Grace Coolidge invited people they knew to comfort them at the White House, including her father-in-law as well as Alice Roosevelt Longworth with her infant child.
88.
Grace Coolidge maintained her close relationship with her father-in-law until his death in March 1926, and her letters about the family's goings on brought him comfort toward the end of his life.
89.
Grace Coolidge's son became quite popular and frequently received invitations to parties by early 1927 when he was out of school for the winter, but she restricted his activities knowing that these events could go until 5:00a.
90.
Grace Coolidge kept away from politics and is not seen as having influenced her husband's political positions.
91.
Grace Coolidge followed his request that she not express opinions publicly or speak to the press.
92.
Grace Coolidge filled in her absentee ballot in front of the press on the White House lawn to encourage women to vote.
93.
Grace Coolidge took interest in the government's involvement in the arts and got to know the chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts, Charles Moore.
94.
Grace Coolidge took interest in the passing of the Public Buildings Act of 1926.
95.
Grace Coolidge once used her position to influence the Veterans' Bureau; when she discovered that her maid's son had breathing problems from a gas attack in World War I, she had the bureau relocate him to the Western United States where clearer air would help his recovery.
96.
Grace Coolidge was most active in children's welfare and support for the deaf.
97.
Grace Coolidge often invited deaf people, including students from Clarke School, to visit the White House.
98.
Grace Coolidge similarly invited women's groups to the White House as she privately supported women's causes, and she ensured that the wives of cabinet-members were seated as a distinct group during her husband's first address to Congress.
99.
Grace Coolidge privately supported the idea of a working woman, even if she preferred domestic life for herself.
100.
Grace Coolidge opposed the more radical aspects of the contemporary feminist movement such as the actions of Alice Paul.
101.
Publicly, Grace Coolidge was more likely to speak about religion, believing that it was an essential part of American society.
102.
Grace Coolidge acquired other historical pieces from the White House storerooms.
103.
Grace Coolidge declined his offer to fly in a plane with him, as one of her husband's rules was that she was not to fly.
104.
Grace Coolidge stayed in contact with Haley and his wife without her husband's knowledge.
105.
Grace Coolidge did not know about the president's announcement in 1927 that he would not run for another term until after he made it.
106.
Grace Coolidge was afflicted with kidney disease in February 1928, which became apparent when she collapsed after an especially strenuous reception.
107.
Grace Coolidge was secretly taken to the National Naval Medical Center to receive x-rays and a cystoscopy, which revealed that her right kidney was enlarged, infected, obstructed, and out of place.
108.
Grace Coolidge stayed in her sky parlor as she slowly recovered, resenting the boredom and the rules imposed upon her by the doctors.
109.
The Beeches was larger than their previous home, allowing Grace Coolidge to keep a work room instead of working out of the dining room.
110.
Grace Coolidge kept in touch with her successor Lou Henry Hoover.
111.
Grace Coolidge's husband refused her request to visit Europe, as he feared possible foreign policy implications of international travel by a former president.
112.
Grace Coolidge began writing poetry and descriptions of her time in Washington, publishing them in magazines.
113.
Grace Coolidge wrote a poem about her late son titled "The Open Door" on the fifth anniversary of his death, which was published in Good Housekeeping for $250 and positively received.
114.
Grace Coolidge's husband encouraged her literary activity and helped get her works published.
115.
Grace Coolidge appeared in a promotional film for the Christmas seals drive, in which she rang the bell of the Northampton Memorial Hall and recited a sentence for the camera.
116.
Grace Coolidge received honorary degrees from Smith College in June 1929 and the University of Vermont in June 1930.
117.
Grace Coolidge received a medal from the National Institute of Social Sciences in 1931, and Clarke School's art building was named for her upon its completion in 1933.
118.
Grace Coolidge was president of the Northampton Republican Women's Club, but this was an honorary position and she did not engage in any political activity with the group.
119.
Calvin Grace Coolidge died on January 5,1933, and Grace Coolidge was discomforted by her sudden independence.
120.
Grace Coolidge took her husband's place as trustee of Mercersburg Academy, Clarke School, and another local school.
121.
Grace Coolidge inherited his estate of about $700,000.
122.
Grace Coolidge became a grandmother with the birth of Cynthia Grace Coolidge later that year; she feared becoming an imposing mother-in-law and tried to limit her involvement in the child's upbringing.
123.
Grace Coolidge closely followed the events of the Lindbergh kidnapping, especially during the trial of Richard Hauptmann in 1934.
124.
Grace Coolidge bobbed her hair, and she began wearing hiking shorts and trousers.
125.
Grace Coolidge learned how to drive a car, and in 1936 she flew in a plane with Governor Trumbull.
126.
Grace Coolidge helped campaign for the reelection of President Herbert Hoover in the 1932 election.
127.
Grace Coolidge was not entirely opposed to Franklin D Roosevelt during his presidency, though she did not speak publicly on the matter.
128.
Grace Coolidge avoided involvement in biographies about her husband so as not to look like she was influencing them, though she provided several interviews for biographer Claude Fuess in the years following his presidency.
129.
Grace Coolidge became board president of Clarke School in 1935; she worked directly with classrooms and kept up with research related to hearing aids.
130.
Grace Coolidge spent much of her time at Adams' vacation home in North Carolina, where the pair found peace from public scrutiny.
131.
Grace Coolidge made her final visit to Washington in December 1934, where she and Adams saw the Works Projects Administration constructing new government buildings and visited the first ladies' gowns collection in the Smithsonian Institution.
132.
In 1936, Grace Coolidge went with Adams on a six-month tour of Europe where they drove across ten countries.
133.
Grace Coolidge took up reading more heavily around this time and kept up with popular novels.
134.
Grace Coolidge's second granddaughter, Lydia Coolidge, was born in 1939.
135.
Grace Coolidge supported American involvement in World War II, and she began raising funds for child refugees from Germany in 1939.
136.
Grace Coolidge lent Road Forks to WAVES' Captain Herbert W Underwood as the organization was operating out of the nearby Smith College.
137.
Grace Coolidge volunteered as a civil defense watcher where each week she spent three hours as a look out for a possible German bombing of the United States, though none ever occurred.
138.
Grace Coolidge supported Dwight D Eisenhower in the 1952 presidential election even before he was nominated as a candidate.
139.
Grace Coolidge's heart did not fully recover after an illness in 1952, and an elevator was put into Road Forks for her.
140.
Grace Coolidge's health declined significantly in 1954, and she was hospitalized at one point in 1955.
141.
Grace Coolidge went out less frequently as she feared the spectacle of dying in public.
142.
Grace Coolidge died of kyphoscoliosis-induced heart disease on July 8,1957.
143.
Grace Coolidge's popularity invited comparisons to former first ladies Frances Cleveland and Dolley Madison.
144.
Grace Coolidge was generally seen as a more domestic figure in contrast to the active feminist movement of the day.
145.
Grace Coolidge's fashion influenced popular trends in the 1920s, especially in her choice of headwear, and she tried to present a modest approach to the styles of the time.
146.
When knee-length skirts were common apparel, Grace Coolidge wore longer skirts and gowns that were at most 10.5inches from the ground.
147.
Grace Coolidge's husband admired her appearance and took an interest in her wardrobe.
148.
Grace Coolidge often helped her pick dresses to wear during events and went clothes shopping with her.
149.
Vera Bloom, the daughter of Congressman Sol Bloom, said that Grace Coolidge was worth one million dollars a year for the Republican Party.
150.
Grace Coolidge's popularity pushed the first ladyship into a more public-facing role, adding a new facet to the job that persisted through future generations of first ladies.
151.
Historians have debated how much Grace Coolidge affected her husband's political career.
152.
Grace Coolidge was quick to anger, and she was often the one tasked with de-escalating him.
153.
Grace Coolidge imposed a number of rules on her about how she was to dress and act in public, and she needed his permission to visit her parents or travel to events.
154.
Since 1982, Siena College Research Institute has periodically conducted surveys asking historians to assess American first ladies, where Grace Coolidge ranked 17th of 42 in 1982,19th of 37 in 1993,17th of 38 in 2003,17th of 38 in 2008,21st of 39 in 2014, and 25th of 40 in 2020.