Calvin Coolidge was born in Plymouth, Vermont. After graduating from Amherst College in Massachusetts, he began to practice law in nearby Northampton in 1897. Soon thereafter, he joined the Republican Party and held a number of local and state offices. From 1916 to 1918 he served as lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. He was elected governor in 1919. While in office, Coolidge gained national attention for using the state militia to end a strike by Boston police. In 1920 he was elected vice president of the United States. He became president in 1923 after President Warren Harding died. In 1924 Coolidge ran for president and won. He was best known for his hands-off attitude about government regulation of business. Coolidge earned the nickname “Silent Cal” because of his quiet and reserved personality. At the end of his term, he chose not to run for re-election. Coolidge returned to Northampton to write magazine articles and his autobiography.
