Madison Project: Coolidge on Immigration

Madison Project: Coolidge on Immigration

This past May, the policy director of the Madison Project, Daniel Horowitz, took an important look at what Calvin Coolidge thought about immigration. As the pressure is on to overhaul current law on the matter, historical perspective from the man who took time to explain the purpose of restriction and its very real benefits to both Americans and those who want to come here, this short piece merits attention.

The President signing the Johnson-Reed Act, on the south lawn of the White House, May 26, 1924.

The President signing the Johnson-Reed Act, on the south lawn of the White House, May 26, 1924.

Included in Japanese Immigration by Raymond Leslie Buell. Boston: World Peace Foundation, 1924. Digitized at http://pds.lib.harvard.edu/pds/view/4009420?n=95&s=4&printThumbnails=no.

Included in Japanese Immigration by Raymond Leslie Buell. Boston: World Peace Foundation, 1924. Digitized at http://pds.lib.harvard.edu/pds/view/4009420?n=95&s=4&printThumbnails=no.

On Being Calvin Coolidge

While recent years have produced some fine performances of Lincoln, Washington, Adams, Jefferson and other “big names” in Presidential history, the thirtieth President and his beloved First Lady are not without a list of impersonators. ImageHere Herbert A. Turner of Cohasset, deliberately emulating President Coolidge, campaigns through Quincy during the 1924 campaign.

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For the President’s security, a body double was used from time to time. This man hailed from Springfield, Massachusetts.

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Of course, Grace had a body double also. This woman was from Boston.

ImageThen there were those, like actor Lucien Littlefield, who were persuaded to pose as the President after a fellow cast member observed the resemblance to Coolidge while they filmed Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1927. Littlefield gladly obliged to be Calvin Coolidge for the photographer.

ImageSince then, Ian Wolfe took up the role of President Coolidge in The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell in 1955. Wolfe had portrayed a Chief Executive eight years before in California (1947), playing James K. Polk.

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In 1979, a TV mini-series called Backstairs at the White House depicted life through eight administrations, including a brief look at the Coolidge era. Ed Flanders played the President and Lee Grant Mrs. Coolidge.

ImageLast, but by far, the best portrayal of being Calvin Coolidge belongs to Jim Cooke. HavingĀ  studied “Silent Cal” so devotedly over four decades, he proves how worthy his subject is for a renewed appreciation, perhaps now more than ever. He is not merely “another impersonator” but is a teacher, a dear friend and a good man. There is no quantifying the good influence he continues to exemplify for me and many others, through keeping the flame lit for so undeservedly an underrated President. His “More Than Two Words” presentation of a not-so-silent Cal restores a “lost” and worthy chapter of our history from an institutionalized neglect in far too many history classes. Please visit his fascinating page at http://www.crankyyankees.net.

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Congratulations to the Red Sox!

ImageGrace Coolidge, the “First Lady of Baseball,” as designated by the Washington Senators and Boston Red Sox in 1955, would be especially proud of her team and their victory in the World Series.

ImageThe first pennant brought home to Boston since 1918, the Red Sox could claim no more devoted fan than Calvin Coolidge’s wife. She truly loved the game but her husband also contributed to the thrill of it all in his own way.

ImageAfter the 1924 Series ended, President Coolidge offered this inspiring tribute to America’s game,

“To those who devote themselves to this enterprise in a professional way and by throwing their whole being into it raise it to the level of an art, the country owes a debt of gratitude. They furnish us with amusement, with an outside interest, oftentimes in the open air, that quickens the step, refreshes the mind, rejuvenates and restores us. We pitch with the pitchers, we go to bat with the batters, and make a home run with the hard hitters. The training, the energy, the intelligence which these men lavish upon their profession ought to be an inspiration for a like effort in every walk of life. They are great band, these armored knights of the bat and ball. They are held up to a high standard of honor on the field, which they have seldom betrayed. While baseball remains our national game our national tastes will be on a higher level and our national ideals on a firmer foundation” (Foundations of the Republic, “Good Sportsmanship,” October 1, 1924, pp.131-2).

Boston fans cheer the Red Sox victory in 1915.

Boston fans cheer the Red Sox victory in 1915.