Evening star., 1926-03-19
OATH HE ADMINISTERED TO SON
BROUGHT COL. COOLIDGE FAME
Was First Action to Bring Presidents Father Into
Public Eye Despite Long Years of Active Fl
Interest in Many Fields.

When Calvin Coolidge succeeded to
the Presidency upon the death OF
President Harding. In August, 1928,
his father. Col. John Coolidge, sud.
denly spran& from the obscurity Of a
quiet, little Vermont town to ma
| tional prominence. Up to that time
| the father OF the new President. al
though he had been actively interest ed
| In public affairs for many years.
scarcely was known or heard Of out.
side his native State.
Not many Of the % men who were
fathers Of Presidents lived to see their
sons inducted into the highest public
of7ice. and among those who did Col
Coolidge had the distinction OF beine
| the only one to administer the oat IN
OF the presidential ONCE to his SON
1t was this more than the mere fact
, he had become father Of the Preside Mt
that caused the attention Of the Ma.
ton to be directed to him.
Plan for Oath.
1t was only few weeks before that
the son, then Vice President, with his
family. had returned to the paternal
| homestead for vacation. In the
midst Of this family reunion and hOli
day came the death OF President
Harding. 1t was near midnight when
| the news reached the Coolidge home
in the little mountain village OF
Plymouth. remote from the railroad
q nd Immediately plans were made for
swearing in the new President.
! The ceremony was della yed only long
enough to receive from Washington
! the official form of the presidential
oath. and when 1t arrived In the early
morning hours the stage was all set
l f~,. ~ coll ~
matte inductions of a President in the
| history of the country.
Col. Coolidge was thrust into the
picture much in the manner Of an IN
derstudy suddenly called upon to play
the leading role In drama. The Vice
President had decided that his father
by virtue Of his Office Of notary public
Of Plymouth, was qualified to admin
lister the oath. which was done in the
living room of the Coolidge home by
the light of a small Kerosene lamp OF
the type commonly used in farmhouse
kitchens.
Ceremony Like Early Days.
The ceremony, thus performed amid
surroundings that We're more like the
early years Of the country rather than
the twentieth century. was In con
formity to the simple traditions that
have marked the lives of the COolidges
of Vermont for many years.
Col. CO0lidge-he obtained his rank
from service on the staff Of Gov
Stickney of Vermont-alway lived In
Plymouth, where he was born March
81. 1846. The fact that his son became
President did not cha nge his mode OF
living with the exception that he wat
obliged to spend considerable time
greeting tourists who paused to get q
glimpse Of the place where. Calvin
Coolidge was born and spent his boy
hood. These tourists came by thou
sands during the months when snow
did not hinder motor traffic to the vii.
lage. The Colonel took q great pride In
showing them the table where the
President signed the oath of office, the
pen, the kitchen lamp and the Bible
used in the administration of the oath
He also priced highly his visitors reg
lister, q series of notebooks containing
the signatures Of thousands Of persona
from all over the country.
Visited In Capital.
| After his son became the occupani
of the White House, Col. Coolidge
made occasional trips to Washington
but always appeared glad to get back
to his farm and the life to which hi
had 50 LONG been accustomed.
| Although naturally proud Of the sue
cess Of his sons career, the father
never was heard to take any credi,
for II. when Cal was in school," he
once remarked, Il thought ne would
| make a good doctor. but his main
thought az a youth was to get4a good