Colonel John Coolidge remained a widower until right before the beginning of Amherst College classes for Calvin in 1891. It was then that the Colonel married what his son considered “one of the finest women of our neighborhood,” Miss Carrie A. Brown, whom he had known all of his life growing up in Plymouth. Thinking of her many years later, he wrote, “After being without a mother nearly seven years I was greatly pleased to find in her all the motherly devotion that she could have given me if I had been her own son. She was graduate of Kimball Union Academy and had taught school for some years. Loving books and music she was not only a mother to me but a teacher. For thirty years she watched over me and loved me, welcoming me when I went home, writing me often when I was away, and encouraging me in all my efforts. When at last she sank to rest she had seen me made Governor of Massachusetts and knew I was being considered for the Presidency.” It was principally to both his mother and loving stepmother that Coolidge credits these measures of his success. The next morning after taking the Presidential oath by parlor lamp light, Calvin (having first knelt and prayed) went downstairs and paused at the grave of his mother, Victoria, before hastening to board the train and take up responsibilities in Washington for the next six years. A locket with his mother’s picture remained with him always and it was found next to his heart when death came on the crisp day of January 5, 1933. It was clear that Coolidge, blessed with good mothers, cherished their love and constant care, was inspired to greater heights by them and returned from a life of public service with an abiding gratitude no child can ever repay.
love
Happy Easter!
“…[I]t would be difficult to find anywhere on earth a human being whose life has not been modified in some degree by the influence of the Christian religion. Outside the teachings of religion there is no answer to the problems of life. Our international and social relations cannot be solved by material forces…What is needed is a change of mind, a change of attitude toward the use of these material things and toward each other. The real problems of the world are not material, but spiritual. Easter teaches us the reality of the things that are unseen and the power of the spirit. A risen Saviour established a new faith in the world that showed the reason and authority of service and sacrifice” — Calvin Coolidge
The Coolidge Women
Florence (upper left) and Grace Coolidge (lower right) join others at the christening of the liner SS President Coolidge, February 21, 1931. The vessel’s sister ship, the SS President Hoover, had been christened the previous December by First Lady Lou Hoover. Standing beside her hull, Grace christened the ship with a bottle of water from one of the springs near the Homestead in Plymouth. These two merchant ships were the largest built up to that time, each 645 feet in length, with gross tonnage of 21,936.
Both Mrs. Coolidge and Mrs. Coolidge stand for their picture at the dock in Newport News, Virginia. Thanks go to Norfolk Public Library for the use of these pictures from the 1931 christening.
The President’s mother, Victoria Josephine Moor Coolidge. Of her, Calvin once wrote: “Whatever was grand and beautiful in form and color attracted her. It seemed as though the rich green tints of the foliage and the blossoms of the flowers came for her in the springtime, and in the autumn it was for her that the mountain sides were struck with crimson and gold.” She died at age 39, when Calvin was 12 years old.
The President’s sister, Abigail Gratia Coolidge, three years his junior. Of her Calvin wrote: “The memory of the charm of her presence and her dignified devotion to the right will always abide with me.” She died at age 14 of appendicitis.
The President’s stepmother, Carrie A. Brown Coolidge, married his father, the Colonel in September 1891. She had been and would continue to be an active participant in the life of Plymouth for many years as a teacher and postmaster. Loving him as her own son, Calvin’s stepmother would be another great influence for good in his life at a crucial time. Of her he once said, “For thirty years she watched over me and loved me, welcoming me when I went home, writing me often when I was away, and encouraging me in all my efforts.” She passed away in 1920 just before his election to the Vice-Presidency.
The President’s maternal aunt, Gratia E. Moor, while technically not a Coolidge (by surname), she was his mother Victoria’s older sister. Here he and Grace enjoy time with her during a visit to Plymouth.
The President’s paternal grandmother, Sarah Almeda Brewer Coolidge, known as “Aunt Mede,” also left a deep impression on Calvin’s life. The wife of Calvin Galusha Coolidge, she lived to see her grandson meet and marry Grace. Of “Aunt Mede” he recalled, “She was a constant reader of the Bible and a devoted member of the church, who daily sought for divine guidance in prayer. I stayed with her at the farm much of the time and she had much to do with shaping the thought of my early years. She had a benign influence over all who came in contact with her. The Puritan severity of her convictions was tempered by the sweetness of a womanly charity. There were none whom she ever knew that had not in some way benefited by her kindness.”
The indomitable Aurora Pierce, friend, housekeeper and member of the family, she could handle just about anything thrown her way. She was the essence of a hardy New England pioneer woman. She knew how to cook for Calvin and was one of the few who could issue orders to him without fear. When she was told of his death on January 5, 1933, she wept.
Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge, “the sunshine and the joy of his life–his rest when tired–his solace in time of trouble,” as Miss Randolph observed (Ishbel Ross, Grace Coolidge and Her Era p.188).
The President’s oldest son, John, and Florence Trumbull during their engagement, 1928. Calvin and Grace loved the young lady who would become their daughter.
The Coolidge family at the dedication of the Calvin Coolidge Memorial Room in Forbes Library, September 1956. This would prove to be Grace’s final public appearance. Her “Precious Four,” as she called children John and Florence with granddaughters Cynthia and Lydia, are featured in Gloria May Stoddard’s fine book, Grace and Cal: A Vermont Love Story, p.153). The original photograph is found in the holdings of Forbes Library.
The Importance of the Obvious 