John Coolidge

John Coolidge (September 7, 1906 – May 31, 2000) was an executive with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, and the first son of President Calvin Coolidge and Grace Coolidge.

John Coolidge, was born in Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, on September 7, 1906. He was the elder of the two children of Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933), the 30th President of the United States from 1923 to 1929 and Grace Anna Goodhue (1879–1957), First Lady of the United States from 1923 to 1929. In his autobiography, Calvin Coolidge recorded his impressions of the birth of his first son: "The fragrance of the clematis which covered the bay window filled the room like a benediction where the mother lay with her baby. It was all very wonderful to us."

Coolidge attended Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania and graduated in 1924. He then enrolled at Amherst College, his father's alma mater, graduating in 1928, graduating from both schools while his father was President of the United States.

He was an executive with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. He served as president of the Connecticut Manifold Forms Company until 1960, when he reopened the Plymouth Cheese Corporation in Plymouth at the historic village. He helped start the Coolidge Foundation and his gifts of buildings, land, and artifacts were instrumental in creating the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site.

Well into his 80s, Coolidge was seen shuttling back and forth from his home near the Calvin Coolidge Historical Site to collect his mail at the old post office located on the historic site. He was reportedly a charming and excited talker who would still answer visitors' questions about his father or his family, and who would, on occasion, give a rare personal interview.

On September 23, 1929 at Plainville, Connecticut, he married Florence Trumbull. She was born on November 30, 1904, at Plainville, Connecticut, the daughter of Connecticut governor John H. Trumbull and Maud Pierce Usher. The Coolidges had two daughters:

• Cynthia Coolidge Jeter (1933–1989)
• Lydia Coolidge Sayles (1939–2001)

Florence died on February 15, 1998 at Plymouth Notch, Vermont, and Coolidge died on May 31, 2000 at Lebanon, Grafton County, New Hampshire. He is buried beside his wife, parents, brother, and several generations of the Coolidge family in the Plymouth Notch Cemetery at Plymouth, Windsor County, Vermont. He was survived by a daughter (died 2001), son-in-law, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Coolidge's family had deep roots in New England. His earliest American ancestor, John Coolidge, emigrated from Cottenham, Cambridgeshire, England, around 1630 and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts. Coolidge is also descended as follows from Edmund Rice, who arrived at Watertown in 1638 and settled in Sudbury, Massachusetts:

• John Coolidge, son of
  • John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. (1872–1933), son of
  • John Calvin Coolidge, Sr. (1845–1926), son of
  • Sarah Almeda Brewer (c. 1820–?), daughter of
    • Israel Chase Brewer (1797–?), son of
    • Sarah Rice (1750–?), daughter of
    • Bezaleel Rice (1721–1806), son of
      • Bezaleel Rice (1697–?), son of
      • David Rice (1659–1723), son of
      • Henry Rice (1617–1711), son of
        • Edmund Rice (1594–1663)

He is also a descendant (on his mother's side) of Richard Warren, who arrived at Plymouth in November 1620 aboard the "Mayflower". Richard Warren was also the 12th signer of the Mayflower Compact.

• Coolidge, Calvin (1929). The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge. Cosmopolitan Book Corp. ISBN 0-944951-03-1. 
• Feldman, Ruth Tenzer. Calvin Coolidge Presidential leaders; Publisher: Twenty-First Century Books, 2006 ISBN 0822514966.