The Coolidges at White Pine Camp, Adirondacks, New York, summer 1926

March 29, 2014March 31, 2014 / gouverneurmorris / 2 Comments

Do you have a license for that dog?

In fact, yes.

The application for license to possess Rob Roy on park grounds. Yes, the President filled out the application himself.

The application for license to possess Rob Roy on the park grounds. Notice that the President filled out the application himself.

The cottage where Mr. and Mrs. Coolidge — and the dogs — stayed that summer, located 2 miles north of Paul Smith’s hotel. Courtesy of Lynn Newman.

Coolidge stands with hotel owner Phelps Smith, in front of Glover Cottage at Paul Smith's famous hotel, where Executive Offices were established during the 10 weeks they stayed in the Adirondacks.

Coolidge stands with hotel owner Phelps Smith, in front of Glover Cottage near his father Paul’s famous hotel, where Executive Offices were established during the 10 weeks the Coolidges stayed in the Adirondacks. It appears that Ted Clark, the President’s private secretary, is pausing at the top of the stairs. Sadly the hotel would burn to the ground four years later. Photo courtesy of Adirondack Collection, Saranac Lake Free Library.

The Coolidges at Gabriels Station. Courtesy of Lynn Newman.

“Calvin Coolidge” by Jerry Wallace

March 22, 2014March 22, 2014 / gouverneurmorris / Leave a comment

Here is an awesome half-hour presentation of the life and landmark accomplishments of Calvin Coolidge by superb scholar Jerry Wallace to the Wichita Pachyderm Club. His irreplaceable volume Calvin Coolidge: Our First Radio President has contributed so much toward shattering the myth that Cal was too inept and silent to make use of the new medium of radio. In fact, Mr. Wallace explains that far from being a failure, Calvin Coolidge bequeaths an historic legacy as not only a masterful communicator but effectual doer and successful President. This is well worth the listen!

“Bless Their Honest Irish Hearts” by Charles C. Johnson

March 17, 2014March 20, 2014 / gouverneurmorris / Leave a comment

“Bless Their Honest Irish Hearts” by Charles C. Johnson

Before St. Patrick’s Day comes to a close, it is useful to consider the contributions of one individual, not native to the Emerald Isle but, despite being a Congregationalist Yankee, did much toward welcoming and assimilating Ireland’s immigrants to a place of respect and honor in one of the most Irish-heavy areas of America, the city of Boston. Rather than enhancing racial or religious bigotry by demanding instant results, Coolidge diffused tensions through mutual respect and patient education. Treating the Irish no differently than anyone else who came here to work hard, live honestly and become citizens, he taught what being American is all about, free of hyphens, committed to liberty, grounded in Christian forbearance and confident enough to hold faith in our founding ideals. In this way, he did more to establish the Irish (and immigrants of all countries) as full-fledged Americans than most recognize. Coolidge would experience an unbroken series of political victories as a result, thanks in part to these “Coolidge Democrats” who understood that for immigration to benefit everyone, the responsibilities of citizenship must be taken just as soberly as its rewards. Character came first and it was that very insistence on standards, despite the career risks for Coolidge personally, that prevailed at the ballot box. Coolidge did not need a herd of consultants to validate the Golden Rule for him. As he would observe later in life: The person who is right makes his own luck. Cal points the way toward the Founder’s vision for an assimilated, prosperous and peaceful people preserved through an incremental, not immediate, process; a pathway to citizenship earned by obedience, not bestowed by political calculation for electoral advantage.