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Calvin Coolidge

Calvin Coolidge
Usage Conditions Apply
Artist
Joseph E. Burgess, 1890 - Jan 1961
Copy after
Ercole Cartotto, 26 Jan 1889 - 3 Oct 1946
Sitter
Calvin Coolidge, 4 Jul 1872 - 5 Jan 1933
Date
1956
Type
Painting
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
Frame (Verified): 160.7 x 112.7 x 6.4cm (63 1/4 x 44 3/8 x 2 1/2")
Stretcher: 143.5 × 97.2cm (56 1/2 × 38 1/4")
Topic
Printed Material\Book
Interior\Office
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Desk
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Necktie
Calvin Coolidge: Male
Calvin Coolidge: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Calvin Coolidge: Literature\Writer
Calvin Coolidge: Politics and Government\Governor\Massachusetts
Calvin Coolidge: Politics and Government\Vice-President of US
Calvin Coolidge: Politics and Government\Government official
Calvin Coolidge: Politics and Government\State Senator\Massachusetts
Calvin Coolidge: Politics and Government\President of US
Calvin Coolidge: Journalism and Media\Journalist\Columnist
Calvin Coolidge: Politics and Government\Public official\Mayor
Calvin Coolidge: Politics and Government\Lieutenant Governor\Massachusetts
Calvin Coolidge: Politics and Government\State Legislator\Massachusetts
Portrait
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of the Fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Object number
NPG.65.13
Exhibition Label
Thirtieth president, 1923–1929
At a time that saw the growth of big government and an increasingly powerful presidency, Calvin Coolidge stands out as the last genuinely “small government” conservative to serve as president. He was famously taciturn, earning the nickname “Silent Cal,” and his demeanor informed a governing philosophy that eschewed intervention except in a civil emergency.
As governor of Massachusetts, his handling of the Boston police strike of 1919, an emergency that called for executive leadership, made him an attractive candidate for national office, and he became Harding’s vice president in 1921. Following Harding’s sudden death in 1923, Coolidge ascended the presidency, and his manner and personal rectitude helped restore the people’s trust in the government after the scandal-ridden Harding administration.
30o presidente, 1923–1929
En una época que vio acrecentarse las funciones del gobierno y el poder de la presidencia, Calvin Coolidge sobresale como el último president conservador genuinamente partidario del “gobierno reducido”. Era famoso por su carácter retraído que le ganó el apodo de “Cal el Silencioso”, y su personalidad se reflejó en una filosofía de gobierno que evitaba la intervención, excepto en casos de emergencia pública.
Como gobernador de Massachusetts, su manejo de la huelga de la policía de Boston en 1919, una emergencia que requirió su liderazgo ejecutivo, Coolidge se convirtió en un candidato atractivo en la escena política nacional y así llegó a ser el vicepresidente de Harding en 1921. Coolidge asumió la presidencia tras la muerte súbita de Harding en 1923, y su conducta y rectitud personal le devolvieron al pueblo la fe en el gobierno después de la ola de escándalos de la administración anterior.
Provenance
Phi Gamma Delta Club, Washington, D.C.; gift 1965 to NPG.
Data Source
National Portrait Gallery
Exhibition
America's Presidents (Reinstallation September 2017)
On View
NPG, West Gallery 210
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