Calvin Coolidge (July 4, 1872- January 5, 1933) is the only President who was born on the fourth of July. This year, according to John Curran's article for the AP, (Calvin Coolidge, born July 4: Hero to Tea Partiers) the occasion was to be marked by a special celebration at the President's birthplace in Plymouth Notch, Vermont.
At noon a Vermont National Guard contingent was to lead a procession of hundreds of people from the village green to the Plymouth Notch Cemetery where Coolidge is buried along with 4 generations of his ancestors.
The following slide show (taken on a trip to Vermont 4 years ago) must be highlighted by two brief points.
First, destiny thrust the Presidency on 'silent Cal'-- a man of few words-- who felt uncomfortable in social settings. President Harding passed away suddenly on a trip to California. So, the recessive Vice President, who believed that Government best that governed least, was thrust into the limelight; this event occurred two and a half years into a Presidency marked by scandals such as The Teapot Dome-- which effectively destroyed the once amiable Harding's reputation after his death.
Secondly, history has dealt a severe blow to Coolidge's status especially as the Great Depression followed a mere seven months after his term ended in 1929.
According to the Curran article, the Tea Party is rehabilitating Coolidge based on his strong anti-tax stance which echoes that of the tea party.
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