Marcus A. Coolidge
Encyclopedia
Marcus Allen Coolidge was a Democratic
United States Senator representing Massachusetts
from March 4, 1931 to January 3, 1937.
Coolidge was born in Westminster, Massachusetts
, son of Frederick Spaulding Coolidge. Through his father, he was descended from both John Coolidge (1604–1691) and Thomas Hastings (colonist)
who came from the East Anglia
region of England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
, in 1630 and 1634 respectively.
After attending public schools and Bryant & Stratton Commercial College
at its former Boston, Massachusetts campus, Coolidge worked with his father's company in manufacturing chairs and rattan
. He later worked in the contracting business, building street railways, water works, and bridges.
In 1916, Coolidge was elected mayor of Fitchburg, Massachusetts
. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson
appointed Coolidge as special envoy to Poland
to represent the Peace Commission. He became chairman of the Democratic state convention in 1920. Coolidge also served as trustee and president of the Cushing Academy
at Ashburnham, Massachusetts
.
After being elected to the United States Senate
in 1930, Coolidge served as chairman of the Committee on Immigration for the Seventy-third and Seventy-fourth Congresses, but was not a candidate for renomination in 1936.
After leaving the Senate, Coolidge returned to Fitchburg and his former business pursuits. He died at St. Francis Hospital in Miami Beach, Florida
in 1947, aged 81, and is interred in the mausoleum at Forest Hill Cemetery in Fitchburg Massachusetts. He donated substantial land to the city of Fitchburg for a recreational park located in the north section. The park bearing his last name is the largest in the city an on which is an engraved stone memorializing his notable activities and public contributions.
He was a "distant relative" of former Massachusetts Governor and President of the United States
Calvin Coolidge
.
Coolidge was the father in law of Secretary of War Harry Hines Woodring
and Mayor Robert E. Greenwood of Fitchburg, Massachuetts.
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
United States Senator representing Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
from March 4, 1931 to January 3, 1937.
Coolidge was born in Westminster, Massachusetts
Westminster, Massachusetts
Westminster is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 7,277.- History :Westminster was first settled in 1737, and was officially incorporated in 1759....
, son of Frederick Spaulding Coolidge. Through his father, he was descended from both John Coolidge (1604–1691) and Thomas Hastings (colonist)
Thomas Hastings (colonist)
Thomas Hastings was a prominent English immigrant to New England, one of the approximately 20,000 immigrants who came as part of the Great Migration. A Deacon of the church, among his many public offices he served on the Committee of Colony Assessments in 1640 and as Deputy for Watertown to the...
who came from the East Anglia
East Anglia
East Anglia is a traditional name for a region of eastern England, named after an ancient Anglo-Saxon kingdom, the Kingdom of the East Angles. The Angles took their name from their homeland Angeln, in northern Germany. East Anglia initially consisted of Norfolk and Suffolk, but upon the marriage of...
region of England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
, in 1630 and 1634 respectively.
After attending public schools and Bryant & Stratton Commercial College
Bryant and Stratton
Bryant & Stratton College is a for-profit college with campuses in New York, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. Founded in 1854, the college offers two-year programs at all campuses and four-year programs at select campuses. This school began as a business institute, but now is an accredited...
at its former Boston, Massachusetts campus, Coolidge worked with his father's company in manufacturing chairs and rattan
Rattan
Rattan is the name for the roughly 600 species of palms in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia and Australasia.- Structure :...
. He later worked in the contracting business, building street railways, water works, and bridges.
In 1916, Coolidge was elected mayor of Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg, Massachusetts
Fitchburg is the third largest city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,318 at the 2010 census. Fitchburg is home to Fitchburg State University as well as 17 public and private elementary and high schools.- History :...
. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
appointed Coolidge as special envoy to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
to represent the Peace Commission. He became chairman of the Democratic state convention in 1920. Coolidge also served as trustee and president of the Cushing Academy
Cushing Academy
Cushing Academy is a coeducational college preparatory boarding school for grades 9 through 12 plus an optional postgraduate year located in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1865 in fulfilment of a bequest by Thomas Parkman Cushing and opened in 1875, and is sometimes cited as the...
at Ashburnham, Massachusetts
Ashburnham, Massachusetts
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,546 people, 1,929 households, and 1,541 families residing in the town. The population density was 143.4 people per square mile . There were 2,204 housing units at an average density of 57.0 per square mile...
.
After being elected to the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
in 1930, Coolidge served as chairman of the Committee on Immigration for the Seventy-third and Seventy-fourth Congresses, but was not a candidate for renomination in 1936.
After leaving the Senate, Coolidge returned to Fitchburg and his former business pursuits. He died at St. Francis Hospital in Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
in 1947, aged 81, and is interred in the mausoleum at Forest Hill Cemetery in Fitchburg Massachusetts. He donated substantial land to the city of Fitchburg for a recreational park located in the north section. The park bearing his last name is the largest in the city an on which is an engraved stone memorializing his notable activities and public contributions.
He was a "distant relative" of former Massachusetts Governor and President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
.
Coolidge was the father in law of Secretary of War Harry Hines Woodring
Harry Hines Woodring
Harry Hines Woodring was a U.S. political figure. He was born in 1890 in Elk City, Kansas. He was educated in city and county schools and at sixteen began work as a janitor in the First National Bank of Neodesha, Kansas...
and Mayor Robert E. Greenwood of Fitchburg, Massachuetts.