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Prosperity and Thrift: The Coolidge Era and the Consumer Economy, 1921-1929

Boone Papers. Chapter on President Coolidge from the Memoirs of His Physician, Joel T. Boone.

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Returning to narrations of June 1925 and notes made at the time, from conversations with Captain Andrews, whom I admired very much and became to have a great deal of affection for him, I learned that he, which I could not accept completely, felt that the good feelings created in the White House toward the Navy had been through his efforts. I feel that he could have been more generous in that appraisement. There were quite a number officers from the Navy and the Marine Corps duties of assignment to the White House, all of whom I felt made contributions to the high estee e m in which the Navy was held. It surely was not a one-man accomplishment, even though Captain Andrews made great contributions, as did his predecessor and his successor, placing the Navy in very high esteem by the White House house[???]. I had reason, as a Naval officer, to be very proud of the attainments in that regard, which continued during my entire eleven {begin inserted text}years{end inserted text} on White House duty.

I had a Chief Pharmacist's Mate --I shall not disclose his name-- on the MAYFLOWER at one period . It was just before we were preparing to sail to New England, who expressed very firm beliefs in Christian Science. He was determined that he would not [???]ject his wife to any therapy prior to, nor during, birth of her child expectant child, for he "knows" nothing can happen but natural birth, that's spontaneous birth. I felt willing to make tremendous sacrifices in order to save him from his ignorant fanaticism. The situation became so acute that I felt compelled to make a verbal report to the Surgeon General, where {begin inserted text}for{end inserted text} I knew we could not afford to have a C hief P etty O fficer in the

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Medical Department with entertaining the beliefs that he had. Could {begin inserted text}be in{end inserted text} create a position to misguide therapeutic practices, doctrination along medical lines of Navy clientele with whom he came in contact and their dependents, if he had such professional contacts. I took him to the Surgeon General's office and both the Surgeon General and I were astounded at some of his pronouncements, such as "an abscess is sin" and "if cleansed of this particular sin, the abscess will heal of itself." This chief petty officer of the Hospital Corps was as wrought up as a voodoo following a seance voodooism.

{begin inserted text}His{end inserted text} Wife became very alarmed and telephoned me that the action of her husband was entirely her own fault, that she was willing to submit herself for physical examination in her pregnant state, that she would do anything within her power to save her husband from severe disciplinary action. I felt very, very sorry about the matter, but I knew that I had to safeguard the medical practices of the Navy and that such beliefs in a member of the Hospital Corps or the Medical Corps or the Dental Corps could not be countenanced. While the individual had a right to his own beliefs, had such beliefs as this chief petty officer pronounced, did not belong associated with the medical organization.

On June 20, 1925, the MAYFLOWER sailed for New England waters early in the afternoon. It was a very beautiful day to cruise down the Potomac. We had taken aboard certain members of the commissary staff, waiters from the White House, to give them passage north where the President would spend the summer. Permission was granted for

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some of the officers and men to load as many of their private automobiles aboard the MAYFLOWER on available space and transport them to New England. strange sight to see vehicles packed aboard the fantail and other available spaces on the Presidential yacht.

The next day was Sunday. As we creuised down the Potomac into the Chesapeake Bay, then out in the Atlantic, we had a beautiful smooth sea. We anchored for a time to test radio compasses. I was gratified that church services were held on the deck with a very fine attendance of officers and men. As time permitted as we cruised that Sunday and for the next few days, I had the pleasure of reading a fascinating book called, "Fix Bayonets!", written by the great Marine Corps officer, John Thomason, published by Scribners. Also I took the occasion to read many others letters I had written to my wife from France in World War I.

Monday, the 22nd of June, the weather continued to be beautiful with calm seas, very bracing and delightful air, and a warm sun. One is invigorated and rejuvenated when cruising, whether on merchant ships or on men-of-war. I can think of no place which is more exhilarating and more restful than to cruise on the great waterways. Off New York harbor at 10 o'clock in the morning. We had made such good time that we anchored in Buzzard's Bay outside Cape Cod Canal while, before passing through the canal at 10 o'clock at night, the Captain bringing the ship to anchor in Cape Cod Bay a little later for a night and gave all hands, except the deck watchers, a chance for a good night's sleep.

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The next morning we arrived in Boston harbor. It had been a delightful and restful cruise. I was pleased to have so many quiet hours for personal reading. We unloaded our White House equipment on a barge. After doing so, we sailed for Marblehead harbor and moored to a buoy at 3 p. m. on the third day out at sea. I went ashore at 5 o'clock in the afternoon to investigate a Marine Corps camp that was being set up in the Swampscott area under the Marine officer who was attached to the MAYFLOWER, Lieutenant Edgar Allen Poe, most delightful shipmate, one of the most humorous gentlemen I have ever met. He was the son of the famous Princeton football player, Edgar Allen Poe.

The Marine Corps contingent was to be a special guard for the President while he and Mrs. Coolidge occupied White Court, a private, beautiful residence on Little's Point and next door to the grounds of the Coolidges' most intimate friends, Mr. and Mrs. Frank W. Stearns, who lived in Red Gables, their summer home. White Court provided much privacy for the President and Mrs. Coolidge. Quite a lengthy approach from the main road on Little's Point out to the great big white house where the Coolidges were to spend the summer. The house sat back quite a number of feet on a high bluff overlooking the ocean. Beautiful trees on the reservation. Adequate space and provision for entertaining and for showing the President the protection and privacy. Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Stearns were thrilled to have the Coolidges just a few yards away from them and looked forward to one of the happiest of summers that they could anticipate. I felt it was an ideal location for the Coolidges, because I was familiar with that

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area, as Mrs. Boone and I had spent a recuperative p {begin inserted text}e{end inserted text} riod for me in July 1924 following the tragic illness and death of Calvin Coolidge, Jr., when I was sent to the Stearns' for recuperation after the terribly shocking experience I had had in his care and the great depth of sorrow that I had felt in the loss of this wonderful boy. Mrs. Boone and I fell in love with that part of New England very quickly. We had loved Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where I had my first Naval duty in 1914 and it seemed, in a sense, we were going back to a familiar environment, although there were many miles between Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Swampscott, Massachusetts. Each return visit to New England after our initial residence there for a couple of months in the summer of 1914 has given Mrs. Boone and me reason to love New England more and more with each passing visit. So later in life we looked upon it as the place for us to go for our summer periods of refreshment and relaxation and as much rest as it were possible to have. {begin inserted text}(I shall){end inserted text} speak at considerable length about our summers in New England subsequently as these memoirs unfo r ld.

{begin inserted text}(The mart ?){end inserted text} with the MAYFLOWER at anchor and {begin inserted text}in{end inserted text} the very beautiful Marblehead harbor and with a Marine camp as part of the over-all command of the MAYFLOWER and the President and his First Lady and his household occupying White Court, I had to divide my time three ways, many hours overlapping. When I was in one place, I should be in others, it seemed to me throughout the summer, for I had, as the medical officer of the MAYFLOWER, duty aboard that ship with all its personnel; I had the summer White House at White Court; I had the

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Marine Camp farther down the coast just outside of a {begin inserted text}the{end inserted text} business section of Swampscott on a private and large estate, [???]ively located camp for the Marines. {begin inserted text}(and a bluff?){end inserted text} I have love for the sea dashing against the rocks and just to the south bay of beautiful sand in front of a large old New Ocean House Hotel.

Because of Mrs. Boone's mother's very serious illness in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, my wife had gone there to be with her and, therefore, did not drive our car to Marblehead.

I was permitted to have one of the Pharmacist's Mates attached to the MAYFLOWER drive the car [???]th.

June 24th President and Mrs. Coolidge and the party from the White House arrived early in the morning at Salem, Massachusetts, and went to visit Mr. and Mrs. Stearns before taking up their residence in White Court which they had leased, as I said, for the summer. {begin inserted text}(I?){end inserted text} They saw it for the first time the next day. Mrs. Coolidge took me all over the residence. Wal {begin inserted text}k{end inserted text} ed about the grounds together. From what was said by President and Mrs. Coolidge, I sensed they wondered where I had been since their arrival the morning before. Stuck close to my duties aboard the MAYFLOWER and also had duties at the Marine Camp for a while. In retrospect, felt it was better to have President and Mrs. Coolidge evidence {begin inserted text}(desire? this ire?){end inserted text} that I would stick close to North Court {begin inserted text}and{end inserted text} with them than if I had more or less rushed to see them in their new quarters. My duty was to accompany the MAYFLOWER to Marblehead as its ship's medical officer. Major Coupal had accompanied President and Mrs. Coolidge and their party by train north.

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The first few days after President and Mrs. Coolidge had arrived in their new residence at White Court, and with many responsibilities upon Captain Andrews as senior Naval aide and commanding officer of the MAYFLOWER, he had a busy schedule and felt the tensions in new surroundings and new {begin inserted text}dual{end inserted text} duties . from many demands made upon him from both ship's duties and new Presidential summer quarters. He was supposed to supervise not only entertainment for the President and his party and others aboard the MAYFLOWER as he saw fit, but also supervise much of the entertainment in White Court. He showed a nervousness and an irritability that was not like him, and when anything went wrong there would be some fur flying. As for example, the first time tea was served at the White Court, there was some confusion, some misunderstandings as to the presence of an aide or more when President and Mrs. Coolidge were entertaining even quite informally. Captain Andrews was a perfectionist and he didn't {begin inserted text}never{end inserted text} want {begin inserted text}ed{end inserted text} anything not to be well planned out and executed to perfection. When they didn't, he could hit the roof. He was not tolerant of imperfection on the part of any of his subordinates and wanted to have very finest kind of service rendered the President and First Lady. He wanted everything to run so smoothly that they would have no concerns about any plans or preparations or execution of social activities in the President's household with {begin inserted text}for{end inserted text} which he felt a responsibility reason for the President and Mrs. Coolidge, as it was with President and Mrs. Harding, admired Captain Andrews very highly and placed great dependence upon him.

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Mrs. Andrews was a very, very charming, lovely person. It was my privilege to care professionalwise for them and for their two young children lovely little Frances and the younger of the two, Adolphus, Jr. Captain and Mrs. Andrews worried a lot about their children and I was called upon for many services to them. I always found it a pleasure to render any service possible for them. I became very, very fond of the two children.

Frances years later married Benjamin Dillingham of Honolulu, a highly respected young woman of that community. Adolphus became a distinguished young Marine officer who acquitted himself admirably and was highly respected as a Marine. I hadn't seen him for a number of years after he graduated from Princeton, kept on the Marine uniform, I met him when he was on duty in Guam as the aide to Major General Graves Erskine who at that time was commanding the Third Marine Division. General Erskine as a young Marine officer had served with me in World War I in France. We both served in the Fourth Marine Brigade. He has complimented me on many occasions since war days, saying publicly that I saved his life in battle. I like to feel that I contributed to the saving of his life, for he continued to contribute very outstandingly to his country for many years to follow and even up to the present time in 1964.

One of the first families that we met after the MAYFLOWER had reached Marblehead and dropped its anchor for a summer stay, except for sorties various and sundry places, with or without the President, was the William A. Paine family who lived in Beach Bluff,

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seashore community between Swampscott and Marblehead. Mr. Paine was the senior member of an {begin inserted text}the{end inserted text} investment firm in Boston of Paine and Webber. He was a Yale graduate and a dynamic sort of an older gentleman. Mrs. Paine was very sweet, lovely lady. They opened their home to the officers on the MAYFLOWER. Mrs. Boone and I became very intimate friends of the Paine household.

The Paines had three daughters: Ruth, Esther, and Dorothy. Ruth was married when we met them to John Blodgett. Esther was married to Morris LaCroix. Dorothy married a David Brayton. And their two sons, Ward and Steve. I believe Ward, although the eldest child in the family, was the last to marry. It wa

It was a delightful household. Everybody was full of fun, very athletic, with the children. Mr. and Mrs. Paine all outgiving. They had their yachts, were great swimmers, tennis players, and golfers. And the Paines' children were prolific. Many grandchildren, all of whom grew to fine womanhood and manhood. The Paines senior opened up their home to the officers aboard the MAYFLOWER, as did their married children. Nobody could have showered more attentions and kindnesses on us than did they all. The LaCroix's loaned me a station wagon to use all the summer of 1925 that I was in the Swampscott-Marblehead area. I do not know what I would have done without it.

Before Mrs. Boone arrived and most of the time thereafter, I kept the station wagon in the vicinity of the MAYFLOWER for my ready available use to get to White Court, the President's summer home, and to the Marine Corps camp farther down the coast.

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It was early foreseen at Marblehead and Swampscott that those of us attached to the MAYFLOWER were going to have one of the most delightful summers that any people could ever ha n ve. We were able to entertain freely aboard the MAYFLOWER, as we saw fit, of course, with proper permission being granted. We {begin inserted text}(were?){end inserted text} entertained very liberally at the two yacht clubs, Corinthian and the Eastern. The MAYFLOWER was anchored just about between both of these yacht clubs, and it made it very easy for us to go back and forth in our boats to the landings of the Corinthian or the Eastern. There were many parties, both day and night, at these clubs and I do not believe that at any time did the officials of each club fail to invite us officers of the MAYFLOWER to be their guests for any special occasion. We in turn entertained quite extensively people from these yacht clubs and also the many friends we made in the Marblehead, Beach Bluffs, Swampscott area.

Coming aboard the MAYFLOWER was considered one of the highest privileges of the citizens and the summer inhabitants of those areas. They always seemed thrilled when they were invited to an afternoon or evening social function, whether it was merely a tea, a luncheon party, or a dinner party, or a dance. President and Mrs. Coolidge were very gracious about us using the ship as we saw fit when they were not using it themselves or entertainment while at anchor. Of course, we never presumed to take the ship out with our own friends. The only time the ship went out was when the President and First Lady decided to make a cruise or the need for the ship to go down to the

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Boston Navy Yard, in order to go to sea for certain adjustments, navigational exercises.

Not long after we reached Marblehead one of the ship's officers made a fictitious report to the commanding officer about a certain matter which caused tempers to rise, including the commanding officer's himself. I was involved and became very irate, justifiably so, because I knew the facts were not given to the commanding officer. The picture was distorted. It was the only unpleasant experience I had in my seven years attached to the MAYFLOWER, or run-in with a shipmate and becoming very irritated because of the attitude of the commanding officer accepting what was told him before he looked into all the facts. In all justice to Captain Andrews, when he learned the true nature of what had occurred and that he had been misinformed, he said that he should never have taken the information provided for him from the source that he did, that is, that particular officer who made the report. He apologized for having become provoked. It may have been a good thing, because it cleared the atmosphere and I think smoothed out a situation that needed to be corrected in what we called the wardroom mess, a term used aboard ship pertaining to the officers' area where they conducted most of their joint conversation, the lounge area, and what we would say "hanging-out" place for the commissioned officers of the ship, not including the commanding officer, who had his own cabin, stateroom, and bath, just across a narrow a passageway from the wardroom.

Except for the aforementioned incident, I do not believe there could have been a more convivial, harmonious group of officers than

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served aboard the MAYFLOWER during the seven years to which I was attached.

There was another misfit at one period, and because of his conduct, did not warrant or command the respect of his brother officers, but I found it necessary to report him to the commanding officer on a particular occasion. I was the lineal senior of the wardroom officers. Of course, the executive officer, irrespective of his lineal position, is next in seniority, while serving as executive officer, to the commanding officer. The executive officer is always a line officer, where I was a staff officer.

On Sunday, June 28, I had a telephone call from the executive officer of the MAYFLOWER that Major Coupal had suddenly motored early in the morning to Plymouth, Vermont, because the President's father, Colonel Coolidge, became seriously ill. Coupal wished me to know of his departure and wanted me to stand close by White Court to perform all professional services in his absence. I left for White Court upon receiving this message immediately. Mrs. Coolidge informed me that the President was asking where I was and that she told him that I would naturally respond immediately want me at any time I would so respond if he sent for me . . When I appeared at White Court, he evidenced that he was very pleased to see me and told me with great concern of about his father.

It was not long afterwards that a report came through from Plymouth, Vermont, that Colonel Coolidge was not as well and was losing ground. So I informed the President immediately. Wisely, all messages dealing with professional subjects were cleared through

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the physicians to the President in the White House over-all. The President, upon my reporting to him as to the condition of his father decided to leave by special train at once. Secretary to the President, Sanders, directed that I should pack up immediately, prepared to leave with the President if he desired to have me accompany him to Plymouth. The President told me that he decided not to take me along because he felt he wanted me to look after the White Court staff, provide the professional services to the officers and crew of the MAYFLOWER (ther {begin inserted text}e{end inserted text} was no replacement for me, should I have left environs of the MAYFLOWER) and, also, he pointed out that I had duties in caring for the personnel of the Marine Corps camp. I felt he should have had a doctor traveling with him between Swampscott and Plymouth, but I realized the President was trying to make medical provision for a large contingent of personnel MAYFLOWER, at White Court, and at the Marine C camp, even at the sacrifice of his having a physician travel with him on this emergency trip. He said he wanted me to be here in the environs of White H Court, be the intermediary of any communications that came from his home in Plymouth while he was there and of his summer White House, as, I should say, pertain ed {begin inserted text}ing{end inserted text} to professional subjects, because he would naturally contact his Naval aide and/or the Secretary to the President who remained behind at Swampscott with the White House staff who were up in that area. Had I not remained in the environs of White Court and the MAYFLOWER, I would have missed a very pleasant overnight visit very intimate friend from war days in France, Doctor Lester L. Pratt, Chief of the Medical Service, at the U. S. Naval Hospital,

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Chelsea, Massachusetts, that summer and had been for some time before. We had a delightful time reminiscing about war days. It gave him an opportunity to see Captain Andrews again, for they had not seen each other since both served aboard the battleship OKLAHOMA in 1916--1917. Pratt was the junior medical officer of that battleship before he was ordered with the Marines to France, and both of them served originally on that battleship with Andrews having been its initial navigator. I sh

I should have stated that Attorney General Sargent telephoned directly to me from Ludlow, Vermont, that Colonel Coolidge was worse, which occasioned the President {begin inserted text}to plan{end inserted text} to leave immediately for Plymouth when I gave him that unhappy news. There had been a train kept in readiness in Boston for the President's use at any time that he wished to sudden t ly require one.

{begin inserted text}(Few?){end inserted text} Two days after the President set for?th for Plymouth, he notified us at White Court that he was returning to Swampscott by automobile. I waited for him at White Court until 8:30 in the evening when he returned. I sat and chatted by the fire for quite a while and he seemed very pleased to sit with me and narrate his trip to Plymouth about his father's condition, that he was encouraged about him before he left there. Tried {begin inserted text}?{end inserted text} to talk for quite a long time. The President seemed gratified to be back at White Court . {begin inserted text}from{end inserted text} t T his trip, as far as w he was concerned, but not unduly fatiguing.

The next morning, July the 1st, the President did not rise as early as was fatigue that he had realized the night before. He slept until 8:45, which was very unusual for him.

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Got up early, had breakfast aboard ship, took a boat to the dock, drove several miles down to White Court and was there by 8 o'clock promptly, and {begin inserted text}then{end inserted text} waited until the President was dressed.

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