Featured Article Summary #252

Grace Anna Coolidge, born in 1879 in Burlington, Vermont, became First Lady of the United States from 1923 to 1929 and previously served as Second Lady and First Lady of Massachusetts. After studying at the University of Vermont and teaching at the Clarke School for the Deaf, she met Calvin Coolidge in Northampton and married him in 1905, and they had two sons. When Calvin’s political career rose, the family moved from Massachusetts to Washington, D.C., and she entered White House life in 1923 after Warren G. Harding died. As first lady, Coolidge was very popular and welcoming, hosting thousands of guests and making appearances when needed, and her modest fashion style—especially her hats—became influential. Despite enjoying public duties, she often felt limited by the role and by rules from her husband, and she was deeply affected by the death of her younger son in 1924. After returning to Northampton in 1929, she wrote poetry and essays, became more independent after Calvin’s death in 1933, supported the war effort during World War II, and stayed involved with deaf education until her death in 1957. Grace Anna Goodhue was born in Burlington, Vermont, in 1879 and grew up as the only child of Andrew and Lemira Goodhue. She spent summers with relatives in New Hampshire, listened to Civil War stories from her grandfather, and was especially close to her mother, helping with household chores. After her father was injured and later changed jobs, the family gained more stability and status, and Grace was raised with strong religious values, moving from Methodist worship to Congregationalism as a teenager. Goodhue studied Latin and French at Burlington High School and took private lessons in piano, speech, and singing. She attended the University of Vermont starting in 1897, but left briefly due to an eye condition and became active in campus life through clubs and performances, eventually graduating in 1902. She then taught for three years at the Clarke School for the Deaf, where she supported the school’s focus on lip reading so students could better take part in society. Grace Goodhue met Calvin Coolidge while she was studying in Northampton, and after an introduction through a school steward they began dating. Despite their different personalities, they bonded over shared values and humor, and Grace even checked his character by arranging for a ride with her friend. They married in 1905, had two sons, and while Calvin pursued politics, Grace focused on raising the children—supporting them at home, joining community and church life, and coping with her younger son’s serious health problem. Coolidge built her own political role through Pi Beta Phi, holding several leadership positions and taking on major responsibilities, though her trips were sometimes cut short by her husband’s rising candidacy and her family’s needs. After World War I began, she helped her community with bond drives and Red Cross work, becoming co-chair of the Women’s War Committee in Northampton. When her husband became lieutenant governor and later governor, she stayed mostly in Northampton with her sons and made periodic trips to Boston, where she hosted guests and supported his political life. In 1920 she supported his acceptance of the Republican vice-presidential nomination, and after he won, they moved to Washington, D.C., settling into a suite at the Willard Hotel.