“I am not unfamiliar with the claim that if only we had a sufficient Military Establishment no one would ever molest us. I know of no nation in history that has ever been able to attain that position. I see no reason to expect that we could be the exception. Although I believe thoroughly in adequate military preparations, what I am trying to argue is that they are not sufficient unto themselves. I do not believe the American Navy can succeed if it represents mere naked force. I want to see it represent much more than that. We must place it on a much higher plane. We must make it an instrument of righteousness. If we are to promote peace on earth, we must have a great deal more than the power of the sword. We must call into action the spiritual and moral forces of mankind” — Calvin Coolidge, Address at the Naval Academy graduation, June 3, 1925.

“Much may be hoped for from the earnest studies of those who advocate the outlawing of aggressive war. But all these plans and preparations, these treaties and covenants, will not of themselves be adequate. One of the greatest dangers to peace lies in the economic pressure to which people find themselves subjected. One of the most practical things to be done in the world is to seek arrangements under which such pressure may be removed, so that opportunity may be renewed and hope may be revived. There must be some assurance that effort and endeavor will be followed by success and prosperity. In the making and financing of such adjustments there is not only an opportunity, but a real duty, for America to respond with her counsel and her resources. Conditions must be provided under which people can make a living and work out of their difficulties. But there is another element, more important than all, without which there can not be the slightest hope of a permanent peace. That element lies in the heart of humanity. Unless the desire for peace be cherished there, unless this fundamental and only natural source of brotherly love be cultivated to its highest degree, all artificial efforts will be in vain. Peace will come when there is realization that only under a reign of law, based on righteousness and supported by the religious conviction of the brotherhood of man, can there be any hope of a complete and satisfying life. Parchment will fail, the sword will fail, it is only the spiritual nature of man that can be triumphant” — Inaugural Address, March 4, 1925.

“It [Kellog-Briand Treaty] does not supersede our inalienable sovereign right and duty of national defense or undertake to commit us before the event to any mode of action which the Congress might decide to be wise. it ever the treaty should be broken… The bill before the Senate [Cruiser Act] with the elimination of the time clause should be passed. We have no intention of competing with any other country. This building program is for necessary replacements and to meet our needs for defense.” – Sixth Annual Message, December 4, 1928

The USS Ranger (CV-4), the first to be designed and constructed from keel up as an aircraft carrier. Here it is being built in Newport News, Virginia, soon to be launched, 1933. It all started, however, thanks to President Calvin Coolidge who signed the Cruiser Act of 1929, providing for 15 light cruisers and 1 carrier to furnish the country with a more adequate preparedness to meet the challenges of modern warfare and the uncertainties of a world trusting too much on the parchment of the Kellogg-Briand Treaty. The eighteen vessels authorized by Coolidge’s signature – ten of which were commissioned by this Act – would serve America with great distinction when parchment failed and a reaffirmation of peace through spiritual strength was again needed. While most saw combat, several would be lost in battle and a number of “Coolidge’s cruisers” would stand among the most decorated vessels after World War II.

Hate him or love him, Charles C. Johnson is author of one of the best books on Coolidge and participates here in an excellent exchange on current politics, Cal’s foreign policy, big government Republicans and how it should inform our understanding… Well worth the listen.

“Out of a clear sky,” cartoon by “Ding” Darling, appearing on August 3, 1927 in The Des Moines Register.

These words were silently presented on slips of paper to the small coterie of correspondents who had come back to hear what the President had announced that morning would be “a statement” at noon. It was to be given, like any average official transaction, from the Executive offices in the High School at Rapid City, South Dakota. Nothing seemed unusual or suspect. It was already shaping up to be another slow news week, another opportunity to write something of even marginal interest would be appreciated. It had been four years to the day since the Presidency had fallen to Coolidge. Since that time, he had proven his worth, been resoundingly reelected in his own right and was a foregone conclusion for the 1928 nomination, barely ten months away. None suspected the bombshell that was about to drop. With no small measure of delight in the timing of something so unexpected, Coolidge watched as the press members filed in, preparing to take down some matter-of-fact statement that could not be quoted but, being after the Stock Markets would be closed, would make it into tomorrow’s news. All reporters accounted for, the President asked whether, “We’re all here?” and then stated, “The line forms at the left.” Without another word, each journalist was handed folded slips of paper. For a moment silence fell across the room but as the substance of what each paper said was realized, a low rumble turned into a mad scramble for the door and the nearest telephone line in order to be the first with this shattering development. Coolidge, betraying only a mirth-filled twinkle in his eye, watched straight-faced as this drama of his creation unfolded. As we know, Mrs. Coolidge would only find out secondhand what had happened later that afternoon. This weekend then marks not only the sober simplicity of the only Presidential inauguration to be done at the family farm by one’s own father but also this day, four years later, when a President declared he would not run again.

“Who said Coolidge wasn’t the life of the party?” The Des Moines Register, August 8, 1927.

Some “get out” long after their effectiveness and abilities have run full course, overstaying the very natural human limits of good any one person can deliver. The country was anything but tired of Calvin Coolidge, however. He would leave office a year and seven months later with a measure of popularity few outgoing leaders ever experience. Four more years were his for the “taking.” Yet, he walked away at the very height of it all, giving the country just enough time to find someone else of their choosing. They would have to move forward without him. There is no quantifying this degree of humility, personal discipline and self-effacing love for one’s country. He saw the best interests of America not in holding and accumulating power but in denying and diffusing it, a principle which guided him throughout public life. He was not like some who reach high office and discover they are suddenly “indispensable” to the country, Coolidge genuinely believed he would be finished with what was his to accomplish by March 1929. The country was better served selecting new leadership. This lesson, not always pleasant medicine to take, remains nonetheless needful for America to retain a wholesome liberty and healthy self-government. Thank you, Mr. Coolidge.

President Coolidge departing the Summer White House, the High School at Rapid City, 1927. Photo taken by John Storm. Courtesy of Wes Storm.