Claim: In 1923, Warren G. Harding died.

John Calvin Coolidge Jr. -LRB- -LSB- ˈkuːlɪdʒ -RSB- July 4 , 1872 -- January 5 , 1933 -RRB- was the 30th President of the United States -LRB- 1923 -- 29 -RRB- . A Republican lawyer from Vermont , Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics , eventually becoming governor of that state . His response to the Boston Police Strike of 1919 thrust him into the national spotlight and gave him a reputation as a man of decisive action . Soon after , he was elected as the 29th vice president in 1920 and succeeded to the presidency upon the sudden death of Warren G. Harding in 1923 . Elected in his own right in 1924 , he gained a reputation as a small-government conservative , and also as a man who said very little , although having a rather dry sense of humor .   Coolidge restored public confidence in the White House after the scandals of his predecessor 's administration , and left office with considerable popularity . As a Coolidge biographer wrote , `` He embodied the spirit and hopes of the middle class , could interpret their longings and express their opinions . That he did represent the genius of the average is the most convincing proof of his strength . '' Coolidge 's retirement was relatively short , as he died at the age of 60 in January 1933 , less than two months before his immediate successor , Herbert Hoover , left office .   Though his reputation underwent a renaissance during the Reagan administration , modern assessments of Coolidge 's presidency are divided . He is adulated among advocates of smaller government and laissez-faire ; supporters of an active central government generally view him less favorably , while both sides praise his stalwart support of racial equality .