Calvin Coolidge's hardscrabble Vermont farm upbringing imbued him with the old-school New England values of hard work and thriftiness, which served him well as he embarked on a career as a lawyer in Massachusetts and began a steady climb of local and state political offices. As governor, his firm and unflinching response to the 1919 Boston police strike garnered him national headlines and inspired some enthusiastic delegates at the 1920 Republican National Convention to buck the party bosses and nominate him for vice president under Warren G. Harding. A consummate Washington outsider, "Silent Cal" kept a low profile as vice president and the bosses planned to replace him on the 1924 ticket, but in August 1923, Harding's sudden death thrust Coolidge into the White House. With the Harding administration's sordid corruption scandals still bubbling to the surface, Coolidge's quiet integrity restored the American people's confidence in the presidency, while his innate thriftiness enabled him to cut taxes, balance the budget, and reduce the national debt as the nation enjoyed unprecedented economic prosperity. In the wake of a heartbreaking family tragedy, he was resoundingly elected to a term in his own right, but four years later--as only Coolidge could do--he walked away from a surefire chance at reelection and retired to a rented duplex. Learn the full story on Episode 30!
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We're very proud of all our wonderful Episode 30 sponsors:
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| Listerine – Evening Star (Washington, DC) – July 25, 1924 |
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| Palmolive Soap – Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, HI) – June 23, 1926 |
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| Lysol – Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, HI) – March 10, 1927 |
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| Lysol – Honolulu Star-Bulletin (Honolulu, HI) – October 25, 1924 |
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| Flexstone asbestos shingles – Kingsburg Recorder (Kingsburg, CA) – August 3, 1923 |
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| Sex Facts (For Men Only) – Buffalo Times (Buffalo, NY) – August 23, 1925 |
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| Lucky Strikes – Daily News (New York, NY) – October 18, 1928 |
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| Poultryman seeks poultrywoman – Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA) – August 22, 1923 |
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| Lady with high standards – Pittsburgh Press (Pittsburgh, PA) – September 13, 1925 |
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| Man seeks housekeeper – Capital Journal (Salem, OR) – August 31, 1923 |
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| Man with no bad habits seeks wife – Springfield News-Leader (Springfield, MO) – September 26, 1923 |
