San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-08-08
cool IDCE'S EARLY CAREER
IN POLITIS IN HOME STATE
CHARACTERIZED BY HONESTY
Tackled Every New Job With Thoroughness and
Energy Which Brought Him Recognition From
Political Leaders and From the Voters of
Massachusetts Knokn as ION the
Level Politician.

in the city government and Coolidge
secured several Democratic voter
and was elected.
Attracts More Attention.
That gave him a good standing be-
fore the bar and when he retired from
the city solicitorship he was ranked
as one of the best in Massachusetts,
He acquired a lot of useful knowl-
edge about city affairs while in the
city council and as city solicitor.
Then his party nominated him for
the state house Of representatives.
When he made his first appearance
on Beacon Hill in Boston after his
election he attracted the attention OF
politicians in both parties.
Martin Lomasney, the Boston
Democratic leader, who makes 1T Q
point to size up the new members,
looked over the new member from
Northampton the day the Legislature
convened. As Coolidge walked by
him in the members lobby, Lomasney
remarked that the member from
Northampton, in a long old-fashioned
Prince Albert was "either a school
teacher or an undertaken When
Reprcsentative-elec Coolidge was
leaving Northampton for the opening
of the legislature he called on his
friend. Richard Irwin. an old time
politician now judge of the super
Tor court. Irwin gave him a letter
to Speaker John n. Cole of the
house, which read as follows:
Dear John: This will introduce
the new member from Northampton,
Mr.. Calvin Coolidge. He looks like
a singed cat. but he's regular fel.
low. Do what you can for him
Dick"
Coolidge wanted to go on the
judiciary committee, but there was
no vacancy. When committees were
announced Coolidge found himself on
the street railway committee and
Lomasney nudged his ,neighbor, say
ing II was mistaken about the new
member from Northampton. He's
lawyer"
Wins the Mayoralty.
After one year in the house the
Republicans of his city were looking
around for candidate who could
beat q popular Democrat for mayor.
They named Calvin Coolidge. He
was elected and reelected. He gave
more time to the job than any pre-
decessor, visited, the schools, public
and parochial, got acquainted with
the clergymen and school teachers
and city employees until he could call
most of them by their Christian name.
He was now well on his road TO
fame locally. Folks just seemed to
want to do things for seal" Coolidge.
He measured his words then as now,
was careful not to promise anything
he could not do and soon had repu-
tation of being a politician on the
level, rare even in western Massa-
chusetts. The way he swept the
senatorial district election day at
tracted the attention of the late
Murray Crane who gave him his con-
fidence in political affairs. At the
end of his second term in the state
senate there was a vacancy in the
presidency. One day "Cal" packed
his grip and Quietly slipped out of
town. registered at the Adams house,
Boston, held confab with two or three
of the wise men of Beacon Hill and
in "a hours he was back in North
amptOn with enough votes in his
valise to insure his election as presi..
dent of the senate.
Northamptonites rubbed their eyes
when they heard what their undem- |
onstrative fellow townsman had ac-
cOmplished. Those who grinned and |
scoffed at the silent young lawyer |
were forced to change their attitude |
toward him and finally allowed he
was "some pumpkins"
When he took the gavel and called
the Massachusetts senate to order in
1914. President Coolidge made the
shortest speech on record in that
branch.
But that speech travelled over the