John Coolidge was born in Northampton, Massachusetts, on September 7, 1906. He was the elder of the two children of Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933) and Grace Anna Goodhue (1879–1957). 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."[3] On July 7, 1924, his younger brother, Calvin Jr., died from blood poisoning due to a blister on his foot.[1]
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[2] 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.[1]
Personal life
On September 23, 1929, at Plainville, Connecticut, he married Florence Trumbull.[1][4] 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 (October 28, 1933 – January 23, 1989)[5]
Lydia Coolidge Sayles (August 14, 1939 – March 2, 2001)[5]
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.[6] Coolidge was also descended as follows from Edmund Rice, who arrived at Watertown in 1638 and settled in Sudbury, Massachusetts:[7]
He was also a descendant (on his mother's side) of Richard Warren, who arrived at Plymouth in November 1620 aboard the Mayflower. Warren was also the 12th signer of the Mayflower Compact.
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