In an interview published six months after the death of Colonel John Coolidge, his son, President Calvin Coolidge, spoke of him in words that could very well describe many of our fathers:

“My father had qualities that were greater than any I possess. He was a man of untiring industry and great tenacity of purpose…He always stuck to the truth. It always seemed possible for him to form an unerring judgment of men and things. I can not recall that I ever knew of his doing a wrong thing. He would be classed as decidedly a man of character. I have no doubt he is representative of a great mass of Americans who are known only to their local neighbors; nevertheless, they are really great. It would be difficult to say that he had a happy life. He never seemed to be seeking happiness. He was a firm believer in hard work. Death visited the family often. But I have no doubt he took a satisfaction in accomplishment and always stood ready to meet any duty that came to him. He did not gear the end of life, but looked forward to it as a reunion with all he had loved and lost” (Your Son, Calvin Coolidge: A Selection of Letters from Calvin Coolidge to His Father. Montpelier: Vermont Historical Society, 1968, vii).

To all such good, kind, and faithful men we wish “Happy Father’s Day!”

Colonel John Coolidge (left) and Governor Billings of Vermont, March 3, 1925. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.