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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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Those {begin inserted text}{begin handwritten}w{end handwritten}{end inserted text} {ILLEGIBLE} ho observed President Coolidge at the Brule felt he was emotionally a sick man, but, as "Ike" Hoover said (p. 179):

"But time is a great healer, and when at the end of his vacation he returned to Washington, the President was to all outward appearances quite his normal self again."

I believe the visit of President and Mrs. Hoover to the Brule some days after the convention had been concluded in Kansas City helped materially to heal President Coolidge's feelings. Mrs. Coolidge, as I have previously narrated {begin inserted text}(felt/wrote){end inserted text} that she and the President enjoyed very much the Hoover visit, as I am sure that the Hoovers likewise did enjoy the visit with the Coolidges.

It always has been difficult for me to understand why President Coolidge did not go and express gratification that Secretary of Commerce Hoover being prominently mentioned nomination of President in 1928. Coolidge had sat in President Harding's cabinet {begin inserted text}(as){end inserted text} Vice President, thus as a colleague in cabinet meetings with Mr. Hoover, retained Mr. Hoover in his cabinet when he, Mr. Coolidge, assumed the Presidency after the death of President Harding in 1923, retained him in his cabinet when he, Mr. Coolidge, became President by election in 1924. Therefore, Mr. Coolidge and Mr. Hoover having been colleagues March 1921 till Mr. Hoover succeeded Mr. Coolidge as President of the United States March 4, 1929, a period of 8 years. I have always felt that President Coolidge should have felt deep satisfaction that he would be succeeded by such a world-renowned, {begin inserted text}un-{end inserted text} usually experienced, demonstrated most successful administrator, take over the e reins of

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government from him, as was Mr. Hoover. I felt that President Coolidge have left Mr. Hoover know in no uncertain terms if he had ambitions to be President he, Mr. Hoover, would have the full support blessings in his ambitions on the part of President Coolidge. Instead, Mr. Hoover on repeated inquiries could not get one word from President Coolidge which would evidence any interest in Mr. Hoover's interest in election to the Presidency. As has been narrated in my memoirs, supported by documentary evidence, in some instances the writings of Mr. Hoover himself repeatedly went to President Coolidge to ascertain feelings as to continuing in office and trying to have amplification of what Mr. Coolidge really meant when he said in s the summer of 1927, "I do not choose to run for Presidency in 1928."

I personally know that Mr. Hoover himself never commented on the subject in any semblance of bitterness and he had tried repeatedly to get assurance from M President Coolidge that he had no intentions of being renominated at the Republican National Convention at Kansas City in 1928. I also know that Mr. Hoover refrained consistent adherence giving no interviews in regard to his nomination, nor did he, as his memoirs point out, appoint any manager to promote a campaign for his nomination. He had a s host of friends in the United States who set forth determinedly to nominate him. I felt in 1928 as I viewed the situation at close range President Coolidge was unfair to Secretary Hoover and surely did not evidence good sportsmanship attitude. He could have made Mr. Hoover's nomination

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infinitely easier and would spare Mr. Hoover what I know to have been heartaches, but he did not protest or wear his feelings on his sleeve. To have done so would have been out of cast for him. It was very understandable that he must have felt very deeply lack of support that was not forthcoming from the President he had served long and faithfully and with whom he had been intimately associated for 8 years.

I was not able, nor have I been over the years a crystal gazer to interpret just what Mr. Coolidge meant by his statement from the Black Hills; however, I felt he was receptive to being nominated and the nomination served to him on a silver platter without any efforts on his part required. At least I felt he took the position within himself that he should have the opportunity of accepting or declining the nomination.

I agree with what Doctor Work has said and as I have reported if that operation, if that opportunity had been provided for him by the National Convention, he had declined the nomination after he had been nominated, that would have made whoever else were nominated subsequently a "second rater", which would have made him vulnerable to attacks by the opposition party and the candidate named by the Democratic Convention that year.

Mr. Hoover's stamina in adversity demonstrated in this period as it has been in other periods in {begin inserted text}to{end inserted text} my knowledge when he stood four-square unswervingly, highest concept principle. Contrast between these two men, President Coolidge and Mr. Hoover, was reflected

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in higher admiration for Mr. Hoover, which in one way was demonstrated by the very large vote he got on the first ballot at the National Republican Convention at Kansas City, which assured him of his nomination. Many people who had been desirous of renominating President Coolidge defected from him until, it was stated, he could not have been renominated if he had even said {begin inserted text}sent{end inserted text} word at the last minute that he was receptive. To me this would have been a d sad commentary.

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the grounds in the rear of the buildings, at most of them, rather, the back door at Mercersburg was just as attractive as was the front door. She said that she had visited several New England schools and also had visited Lawrenceville Academy, but that this school, Mercersburg, had the real "atmosphere". Mrs. Hoover, Helen, Suzanne, and I returned by way of Waynesboro and Blue Ridge Summit. Mrs. Hoover had driven her own car to Mercersburg. After we got over toward Blue Ridge Summit, Mrs. Hoover turned the driving over to me and she sat in the back of the car.

I asked her how Doctor Work was enjoying his new duties as Chairman of the National Republican Committee and she said: "In the bosom of the family, he gives us great concern, for he does not look or seem well and we fear he may break or do considerable harm, for he doesn't seem to have the ability to make decisions or have the necessary patience in meeting the campaign problems." She told of his appearance and manner when he was West for the notification ceremonies. Mrs. Hoover said that he, Doctor Work, had great confidence in me. I {begin inserted text}?{end inserted text} asked if I would not see him, advise him professionally.

The next morning Mrs. Hoover telephoned me saying she had talked with her husband about her conversation with me in regard to Doctor Work and that Secretary Hoover wanted her to ask me to do everything possible to get Doctor Work to have more assistance and to curtail his heavy, terrible schedule, long hours, and let up some, as much as possible, as the situation was becoming more serious, but not to delay long in making decisions because he will have innumerable ones and will increase greatly with the passing of

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time not be delay decision making. Then Mrs. Hoover said that Secretary Hoover wished me to report to him in person of the result of my meeting with Doctor Work.

I told Mrs. Coolidge of our trip to Mercersburg. At first she seemed a little surprised, then pleased, that Del Large, the nephew of Mrs. Hoover, was considering applying for admission to Mercersburg. She was also pleased that Mrs. Hoover and Mrs. Large, Del's mother, were pleased with the Academy.

The next day, September 15th, I was at the MAYFLOWER {begin inserted text}Mayflower{end inserted text} Hotel at 7 a.m. to see Doctor Work and had one and one-quarter hours with him while he was dressing and while he was having breakfast in the coffee sh i {begin inserted text}o{end inserted text} p. I told him that I had come to him as a friend, as a physician as well, because pictures I had seen of him of late showed him not looking well during the summer. I said, while I found him now looking better than I had expected, my visit to his office two days ago disturbed me very much. I recognized he was working under too much pressure and that there was much confusion and seemed to be disorganization in his office and lack of proper system, and he was handling too much detail, preventing his allotting for amount of time pass judgment and make decisions on the big issues con g {begin inserted text}f{end inserted text} ronting him, to giving adequate consideration to the very vital problems of the campaign. I forewarned him that he would too soon fatigue and find himself unable to cope with the real important matters with which he had to deal.

Doctor Work said he deeply appreciated my coming to see him and he had given too little thought to himself. As he was a widower, he

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was living alone and thought noone gave a damn about him. He said during the summer he felt terrible, as now, he felt okay. He said his blood pressure was 148 over 80. Any other examinations were essentially negative. He confessed that he was now finding himself fatigued, very fatigued, and when he rose in the morning he was not rested (which is a warning sign). He was aware of signs of irritability and lack of patience, which were foreign to his nature. He was favorably impressed with the idea of having a "buffer" in his office and which idea he said he would give very serious consideration. He said he pitied his secretary "Donald" being under such cramped circumstances, such confusion.

After I left Doctor Work I telephoned Mrs. Hoover from Army-Navy Club while she was at breakfast. She said she would call me back about making a report to Secretary Hoover.

Work had told me that the campaign was a religious war, and that Moses of New Hampshire greatest menace he had to contend with Republican Party.

About 8:30 I telephoned to Doctor Hayes in Northampton, then reported to President Coolidge in his office, having walked from the lower floor of the White House with him. He showed me his wrist and finger as we walked along. Felt some concern about his health at that time.

The next day, Sunday the 16th, I was at the White House before I went to church to make a report to Mrs. Coolidge about her mother. Quite a chat with both the President and Mrs. Coolidge at that time. In the evening I went to the home of the Thropps. Mrs. Thropp was

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a sister of Mrs. Irvine. The latter amazed me by many things she said, evidenced to me that she was very emotionally disturbed. Her conversation was rambling, changed from love to condemnation and accusation. She said the Board of Regents should have "capitalized on Doctor Irvine's death", she could have raised the money for the school, did have $500 sent to her. She returned it. Colonel James Barnes, who had been the best man for Doctor and Mrs. Irvine when they married and was President of the Board of Regents, came in for a great deal of abuse Mrs. Irvine by saying he had been a failure always while he had promised the school through friends $100,000 and as it had not come forth as anticipated, Doctor Irvine had gotten the school in debt. All that she said to me was very unpleasant to listen to and I felt she was a very sick woman, as well as a very embittered woman, for I well knew that she was ambitious to be appointed Headmistress of the school herself, resented the election of Boyd Edwards, a dear friend of Doctor and Mrs. Irvine, as a successor to Doctor Irvine as Headmaster.

I was very displeased at Coupal's critical atti d {begin inserted text}t{end inserted text} ude of the treatment being applied in Mrs. Goodhue's case. He hadn't seen her in Northampton and was not personally familiar with what {ILLEGIBLE} {begin inserted text}what{end inserted text} the treatment constituted.

I was very much pleased with Del Large. Delighted that he had been accepted as a student at Mercersburg. I left letters of introduction for him and while at the Hoovers' home on S Street, I saw Attorney General Sargent and had a chat with him for a little bit.

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