Coolidge and the American Project
Library of Congress Conference
February 16-17, 2023
Historians and policymakers opened the centennial conference with a series of reflections on where the memory of President Coolidge stands in the minds of Americans today—and anticipated the aspects of the Coolidge legacy that could be expanded in the later panel discussions.
Margaret McAleer, Historian, Library of Congress
Amity Shlaes, Chairman, Coolidge Foundation
Hon. Peter Welch, United States Senator, Vermont
Hon. Mitch Daniels, former Governor of Indiana
The Ideas and Ideals that Made Coolidge: Coolidge grew up in the America of the Founders and of Tocqueville. Coolidge’s upbringing in Plymouth Notch, Vermont, as well as his work as a town attorney and local politician, helped the future President to understand the power of the American ideal and the limits of government. In this session, speakers will reflect on the American philosophies, laws, rhetoric, faith traditions, and rural village life that made the man.
Moderator: Hon. Richard Graber, CEO, Bradley Foundation
Christopher Coolidge Jeter, Coolidge Descendant
Eric Adler, Department of Classics, University of Maryland
Hon. Edith Jones, Federal Judge
The Progressive Challenge of the Early 1900s: In the first quarter of the twentieth century, Progressives were on the march. Many Republicans were abandoning the Grand Old Party to team up with advocates of stronger unionism, benefits for disadvantaged groups, or government entry into new sectors of the economy. At the state level, administrative government ballooned. New constitutional amendments altered our national government. As mayor, state senator, lieutenant governor, and then governor, Coolidge confronted the progressive wave. This session examines the challenges Coolidge confronted.
Moderator: Christopher DeMuth, Hudson Institute
George H. Nash, Historian; Author
Garland Tucker, Author, The High Tide of American Conservatism
Hon. Christopher Cox, Author, The Light Withdrawn
February 16 Keynote
The Challenges of the Vice Presidency
Vice President Mike Pence
Introduction: Seth Lipsky
Confronting Crisis and Change: State and Local Politics: State and local politics are often an important training ground for future national leaders. This was certainly true for Calvin Coolidge who served in more elected offices than any other president in American history. Coolidge’s years as mayor, state lawmaker, and governor forced him to confront the issues of the day, including in-the-weeds details, budget management, civil rights challenges, and labor unrest – most dramatically during the 1919 Boston Police Strike. This panel will highlight the experience that former mayors and governors bring to policy.
Moderator: Amity Shlaes, Chairman, Coolidge Foundation
Hon. Kurt Schmoke, former Mayor of Baltimore
Hon. John H. Sununu, former Governor of New Hampshire
Holding the Line: Harding-Coolidge Budgeting and Regulation: The 1920 Republican Party platform supplied a playbook to both President Warren Harding and President Calvin Coolidge. That playbook included budget cuts and tax cuts. Important too was a commitment to ending “persecution of honest business,” this last, a complaint about preceding presidencies. This panel concentrates on how first Harding, and then Coolidge, made good on the budget and regulatory promises of their party.
Moderator: Hon. Art Pope, John William Pope Foundation
Warren Harding III, President Harding Relative and Author
William Beach, Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics
A Historic Tax Cut Campaign: Between 1923 and 1929, President Coolidge, Treasury Secretary Andrew Mellon, and Congress cut taxes repeatedly, effectively halving the top marginal rate. Coolidge and Mellon’s remarkable partnership made such dramatic work possible. So did Mellon’s theory of scientific taxation, a 1920s version of supply-side economics. Coolidge’s commitment to the moral case for tax cutting was likewise crucial: men deserved to keep what they earned.
Moderator: Steve Forbes, Chairman, Forbes Media
Hon. French Hill, Congressman, Arkansas (AR-02)
Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Director, Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment, Heritage Foundation
James Lucier, Managing Director, Capital Alpha Partners
February 17 Keynote
The Coolidge Value of Work
Governor Kristi Noem
Introduction: Richard Hough
The Results of Coolidge Policy: The Roar of the 1920s Economy: Coolidge economic policy led to a surge in innovation. From appliances to electricity and their first automobile, Americans saw life improve in the 1920s. What lessons can we take away from the 1920s record? How do the policies of the 1920s compare with those of the 1930s, and how do the results compare?
Moderator: John W. Childs, Chairman, J. W. Childs Associates
Matthew Denhart, President, Coolidge Foundation
John H. Cochrane, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
John Allison, Former Chairman and CEO, BB&T Corporation
Mount Rushmore and the Presidency: The Coolidge presidency succeeded so well that Coolidge easily could have won a new term in 1928. Yet while in South Dakota in the summer of 1927, Coolidge announced he would not run, saying later that the country needed to change leaders “from time to time.” What are the limits of the presidency?
Moderator: Matthew Spalding, Dean, Van Andel Graduate School of Government, Hillsdale College
Craig Fehrman, Author and Historian
Steven Hayward, Resident Scholar, UC Berkeley
Cal Thomas, Author; Nationally Syndicated Columnist