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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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(Taped
3&5NOV64)

Mrs. Coolidge took Helen and me to the Boston Symphony concert {MISSING} April. It was one of the most beautiful concerts that I have ever heard.

April 14, 1926, Captain Wilson Brown, U. S. Navy, reported to President Coolidge as the Commanding Officer, U. S.S. MAYFLOWER, and as senior Naval aide to the President, relieving Captain Adolphus Andrews. This was the third commanding officer of the MAYFLOWER had had since I reported as senior medical officer of that vessel late April of 1922.

The next day my father-in-law, having reported from Pottsville for a visit with us, was thrilled in seeing the cherry blossoms here in Washington and he and his daughter, my wife, and I had a delightful evening as guests of the Postmaster General and Mrs. New at dinner in their lovely home in Edgemoor. The Postmaster General and my father-in-law could speak the same political language, both being so-called "rock-ribbed" Republicans of the old school. Postmaster General and Mrs. New told Helen and me that we could occupy their house for the month of June if we liked to. We were very pleased to accept indeed and move out for a month from our apartment in Washington into a cooler area in the lovely springtime in this suburb of Washington.

The next day Helen and I had as guests to our apartment the Attorney General of the United States, Mr. Sargent. My father-in-law, who was a very noted judge in Pennsylvania, enjoyed the visit with the Attorney General immensely. They had very much in common. They

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were experienced gentlemen in the legal profession.

Many of our friends were entertained by us when Father Koch was with us. He enjoyed Washington life and meeting people. He was well versed and well schooled, not only in law, but was a great reader various nature and kept abreast of the events of the day. He was always a very well groomed gentleman and highly respected, so that our distinguished visitors seemed very pleased to meet him, as they were our mother-in-law who was a very sweet lady.

The day after we had been entertained by Postmaster General and Mrs. New, Mrs. Boone and I entertained in our apartment for our father-in-law the Attorney General Sargent, and these gentlemen had a delightful time together. Both were well versed in law. Certainly had a common meeting point for discussion on all legal subjects of common interest. My father-in-law enjoyed Attorney General Sargent very much, fine old gentleman that he was. I am sure from what the Attorney General said to me, he, in turn, was very pleased to meet my father-in-law and have a meeting with him dinner.

{begin inserted text}Two/Few{end inserted text} days later I took my father-in-law to call on the Attorney General at his office. They discussed many subjects, including that of fishing, in which both were interested, particularly as it pertained to trout fishing in mountain brooks.

I sat in one evening on a cheap little radio which we had in our apartment and which was a very far call from the radios of 1964 to hear President Coolidge make a speech to the Daughters of the American Revolution.

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The next day Mrs. Coolidge told me that a great deal of pressure was being put on her to become a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The pressure was so great she felt it became kind of a "smoking her out" process. She did not like it a bit. She never liked to be pressurized. She was not a joiner of organizations. Persistence of pressure on her to join the D.A.R., she instructed her secretary, Miss Mary Randolph, to say to anyone else who contacted her about Mrs. Coolidge joining the D.A.R. frankly say that Mrs. Coolidge "did not wish to become a member". She felt she had to be very specific and very positive the pressure would continue on her. Shewas the sort of person who never liked to be forced into a corner to make a decision. She was a person who could make a decision very quickly. Using pressure on her was the way not to get her to reply affirmatively to requests to do this, that, and the other thing, or to join anything. As I say, she was really not a joiner type.

I had occasion to call on the Vice President, Mr. Charles Dawes, in regard to a radio talk he was considering on the subject of Daniel Boone, and when I went to see the Vice President I took my father-in-law with me. They had a very interesting conversation, and again my father-in-law was very much interested to have a visit with the Vice President. He told Vice President Dawes that there was not a portrait of President Harding in the White House, which I bemoaned and that I hoped some positive efforts would be made to meet that deficiency. At a later date there was a portrait presented

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to the White House of President Harding.

{MISSING} occasion just about this time to confer with Congressman Treadway and Congressman Sell and also Senator Copeland. It was my good fortune to have entree to these gentlemen. I met a number of them on the MAYFLOWER when they cruised as guests of President and Mrs. Coolidge or on other official occasions or social occasions in Washington. I must say that I was always well received by the Senators and Congressmen whenever I had occasion to call upon them for one reason or another.

The 21st of April after a six-day visit with his daughter and me, Father Koch left for his home in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. I always had the greatest amount of admiration and affection for this grand old man. Helen and I wished that he could be with us more and more. He told us {begin inserted text}?{end inserted text} "he would rather be with us in Washington than any place he knew. In the spirit of levity I presented to Father Koch with a record for his Naval service, which pleased him very much. It had a relation to his being in Washington on a number of occasions to visit us and being aboard the MAYFLOWER quite frequently. Delightful sense of humor and was one of the charming people to travel with and be with under any circumstance.

(INSERT dictated at this point re change of duty.)

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About the third week in April I had a very sorrowful and tragic experience. One of the clerks in the Executive Offices of the White House conferred with me as to a swelling in her neck. I recognized that she had a goiter. Knowing that one of the best surgeons in Washington {begin inserted text}who{end inserted text} was a friend of mine had the reputation very expert surgeon and thoriatic (?) cases, I sent this young lady to him for examination and expecting that she would return to tell me of the result of the findings of the surgeon, what he would recommend. A few days passed when I heard that she had died at the Garfield Hospital very suddenly following operation for goiter. {begin inserted text}Neither{end inserted text} Major Coupal or I knew anything about her illness or operation other than the fact that she had asked me {begin inserted text}appear?{end inserted text} to and I had referred her to an outstanding surgeon of the city of Washington. Upon investigating her death, I found that she had conferred with this surgeon and had been operated upon without, from what I learned, any real tests being made on her thyroid, such as we had to use in those days of basal metabolism. The surgeon very unwisely had operated without having a period of studies of the young lady to {ILLEGIBLE} {begin inserted text}prior{end inserted text} the operation and she succumbed following the operation. This was a terrible blow to me and I could well suspect that I would be very much criticized as they thought she was my patient as I had had a relation to her immediate surgery. The young lady was very popular, highly respected and regarded. The experience was a stunning one for me, and I felt very critical in my mind that the employee that I had sent to noted goiter specialist, as he was reputed to be, never informed me of t his intention to operate

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or his feeling the need of operation,and then, having operated without having studied the case, for me to merely learn that she had been operated and died following the operation without my ever having been contacted physician from the time the young lady appeared at his office.

On April 22, 1926, the MAYFLOWER conducted a change d in command ceremony, Captain Adolphus Andrews being detached from command and with Captain Wilson Brown assuming the command of the MAYFLOWER. The ceremony was {begin inserted text}a{end inserted text} very impressive one and done with great dignity with all the officers and men dressed in full dress uniform for the occasion. Change of command is a very, very impressive ceremony.

Mrs. Boone and I gave a dinner party aboard ship that evening to honor Captain and Mrs. A dn {begin inserted text}nd{end inserted text} rews, but unfortunately, Mrs. Andrews was taken ill and was not able to appear. The other guests, besides Captain Andrews, was Captain Brown; the Secretary to the President, Everett Sanders; Major and Mrs. Coupal; Lieutenant Commander and Mrs. Meigs; Lieutenant and Mrs. Poe (he was the Marine officer on the MAYFLOWER); Crown; {begin inserted text}?{end inserted text} the Crawfords; Davages; {begin inserted text}?{end inserted text} military aide to the President and Mrs. Cheney; and {begin inserted text}Ann{end inserted text} King, the wife of Lieutenant Commander Thomas Starr King; Miss Harland, who had been Secretary to Mrs. Harding and the early part of the Coolidge regime to Mrs. Coolidge; Miss Rosamond Reed; Major and Mrs. U. S. Grant; Lieutenant Smith; and Lieutenant Hobbs of the MAYFLOWER staff. Very excellent movie shown that night, which Harold Lloyd appeared in "For Heaven's Sake".

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The third week in April there was much in the newspapers about the hearing Congress was conducting on the charges against Commissioner of the District of Columbia, Frederick Fenning, whose wife was a sister of my Uncle Milton's wife. I knew the Fennings well, had spent many nights in their home, and I just could not believe the charges leveled against Mr. Fenning. The Democrats seemed to be solid for "getting him", while the Republicans were not too vociferous in their defense of him while giving him some comfort in his defense. The defense seemed to be rather lukewarm, it appeared.

President Coolidge talked to me about Mr. Fenning and I said I could not believe the charges made against him. The President replied he could not see that the Congress had charged him with anything very serious, but m {begin inserted text}e{end inserted text} rely the matter of making thousands of dollars over a long period of years.

He asked me my opinion of Doctor William s A. White, who was then the Superintendent of St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington. I told him that I always had very high opinion of Doctor White and used to attend his clinics. The President said he recognized that most mental institutions were always under {begin inserted text}a{end inserted text} charge of one sort or another. He knew that there was a great deal of emotionalism in dealing with the subject of mental illness and that the relatives of the patients {begin inserted text}be-{end inserted text} came greatly excited when any so-called mistreatment of their relatives occurred or seemed to have occurred. Many times the charges were

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baseless and, no doubt, there was a type of care given 40 years ago as this portion of memoirs are being written, was not comparable adequacy of care, humane treatment of the patients that now maintain. Mental health, care of mental patients, treatment of them has surged to a higher plane by far in recent years than was w ever anticipated 40 years ago. Families of mental patients have been educated to the problem, more tolerant of the physicians' efforts to administer adequate and good care. The criticism, I must say, has not been without great benefit to the mentally ill. Mental illness is now considered in 1964 in the same light of any other ailment and illness of the human body. It does not bring with it any disgrace, more than typhoid fever, arthritis, or heart disease, or whatnot. Mental institutions in 1964 are a far cry from what they were 40 years ago. The States at long last recognize their obligation s to the mentally ill and made great advances in the hospitalization and care of the mental ill patient.

Before Captain Andrews left Washington, the officers and staff of the MAYFLOWER gave a very fine luncheon at the Willard Hotel for him, with some of his most intimate friends being invited, such as Admiral Hillary Jones, Admiral Andrew Long, Admiral Cary T. Grayson, Colonel Cheney, and Captain Brown.

On April 27th I began my fifth year of duty on aboard the MAYFLOWER.

That day Representative P e {begin inserted text}o{end inserted text} rnell telephoned me that Congressman Butler of Pennsylvania was asking for two special rules, one on "catapults" and the other on "equalization". There was a belief that {begin inserted text}(long?){end inserted text} members of the Congress forced Congressman Butler

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to request these bills. He was then the Chairman of the Naval Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives, and he was the father of Smedley Darlington Butler, U. S. Marine Corps.

Mr. Fenning was being very severely grilled as the days went by, and I wondered how he could stand the harassment. He was a nervous man and with quite a tic, and I thought that he would break down under the barrage of questioning to which he was subjected.

One day I had the Congressman from my District, Frank Broom, who was the son of Judge Broom of Mindersville, Pennsylvania, coal mining town near where I was born, come to lunch aboard the MAYFLOWER. He wanted to see me and talk over constituent of his whom he wished to have enlisted in the Navy. He said the young man had been turned down by the recruiting office and he couldn't understand why he could not be accepted. He brought him along with me to look at. Said he was a big, upstanding fellow, good appearance. While he could not read very well or write, could not pass the examination questions at the recruiting depot. Congressman Broom thought that he would look very well in a Marine/Navy man's uniform. He would like to have him recruited, just so he could get into uniform, recognizing that, of course, the con {begin inserted text}s{end inserted text} tituent had none of the qualifications intellectually, educationalwize, of being an enlisted man in the Navy. I was very amused at such a reaction from a Congressman of the United States. Quite irate that he pressure could not be brought to bear on the Navy Department to have this man accepted for enlistment. He told me that the e neighboring people in his District had gotten him to oppose and

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and run against my father-in-law for judgeship 1921. Said that {begin inserted text}[???]ff{end inserted text} Bechtel helped him to get Cy Palmer to run against him, Broom, for {begin inserted text}the{end inserted text} Congress. I think that Congressman Broom was trying to show some apology why he had run against my father-in-law. Cy Palmer had been trained in law in my father-in-law's office. Later he ran against my father-in-law when my father-in-law was 80 years of age, had many years on the bench and was eligible for full active duty pay as a judge following his retirement for the rest of his life, but my father was so incensed at this young upstart, he thought, would presume to run against him when he had educated, trained him in law. My father ran for another 10-year term at 80, but Palmer defeated him, much to the satisfaction and happiness of his family. None of us wanted him to run. There was no reason for him to f {begin inserted text}r{end inserted text} un. [???]tation by young opponent,aspiring to be a judge without any feeling of obligation for what Father Koch had done for him. [???]e felt it was foolish for Father Koch to run, spend the money that he did, then suffer defeat, except that it was a blessing to him in disguise, for he lived for 13 years after this and enjoyed life very fully and kept in excellent health.

Early in May when I called at the home of Admiral Rixey's who had been President Theodore Roosevelt's physician, later Surgeon General of the Navy, told me to do all I could to have the then Commander William Hemphill Bell Surgeon General some day. Could I have had Captain Bell made Surgeon General would have delighted me immensely. Admiral Rixey recognized, as did I, that he was handicapped in being appointed for one particular reason and we

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had deep sympathy for him in that regard, but he was a studious fellow, made an excellent appearance both in civilian attire and in uniform, charming, gracious, kindly, considerate, highly efficient.

Newspapers continued to be full of Fenning matter and it had been announced that Fenning had refused to appear before the Congress and further testify because of its treatment of him. I explained to President Coolidge early in May one day why the Democrats treated him as they had. It was merely wishing to harass him. The President commented: "I notice that no newspapers outside of Washington pick up the story." This was rather indicative to me of the President's feelings in the matter. He did not get excited about it, certainly not at that time, early in May.

May the 4th my wife and I attended the dinner in Washington of the Homeopathic Medical Society of the District at the University Club. Senator Coken spoke and I was asked to make some remarks. I observed that homeopathy had accomplished much in the medical world and would always do so, even though it may not receive full credit for what it had accomplished, but, I further observed, the accomplishing of a mission in life is what counts, not the credit given for its accomplishment.

On May 5th I visited Postmaster General New on a professional visit. He told me of discussions of the Fenning case in a Cabinet meeting and President Coolidge said that from sources he had looking into the matter that he might have to ask Fenning to retire. The Attorney General (Sargent) said he had read the case very carefully and there was nothing proven of guilt, while headlines to the contrary notwithstanding.

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Postmaster General New said he spoke and supported Fenning and against the general scurrilousness, attacks, and the trend of those hunters of official heads.

On May 6 Mrs. Stearns informed me that Mr. Stearns was quietly going to the Adirondacks to look over prospective summer places for the President's use and that Starling, the Secret Service man, was to accompany him.

The same day Senator Butler sent for me to prescribe for him. Felt he had a very much upset liver. Also told me that the President sometime s before when the Fenning hearing was underway stated that he (the President) felt Fenning was a good man. Butler stated himself that he was not convinced there was anything wrong in the Fenning case. He said these fellows (legislators) can frame most any kind of a case against an individual.

That evening at a dinner Secretary Works gave, to which my wife and I were invited, expressed himself as feeling was okay. He said he had heard fine things about him. {begin inserted text}Para.{end inserted text} I was pleased to learn when Mrs. Wallace, the widow of Henry Wallace, former Secretary of Agriculture, and her daughter Ruth returned from Europe the Coolidges invited them to stay at the White House, which they did. It gave me an opportunity to see much of them. I was very fond of Mrs. Wallace indeed.

The next time I saw Senator Butler professionally he was quite critical of the Navy and its procedures in dealing with Congress. He did not like its approach on Naval matters, as he said they had

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been practicing in dealing with Congress.

This early May weekend Mrs. Coolidge expressed regret they were not going out on the MAYFLOWER, as she was so anxious to see the spring vegetation that appeared so beautifully along the Potomac.? did not know why the President did not plan a trip did not state reasons, but she just assumed that he was working on a speech and did not wish to be interrupted by a cruise on the MAYFLOWER. Except for certain informal conferences aboard the presidential yacht, I never remember the President bringing work along with him, nor do I ever remember him sitting down and dictating any while he was cruising on the MAYFLOWER. He wanted rest and just completely relaxed and close companionship with certain friends that he was disposed to invite on that particular trip.

May 9, 1926, was "Mother's Day". I took Suzanne to the White House to see Mrs. Coolidge who made a complete fuss over her, hugging and kissing her. Then, when the President was being shaved, he asked that Suzanne be brought in to see him. Mrs. Coolidge carried her into his bedroom and while holding her, the collie scratched Suzanne's legs. The President asked if the dog knew he was scratching her, adding she should have been wearing long stockings.

Word was received on the MAYFLOWER that the President would make a trip that day on the MAYFLOWER. He invited guests at the last minute, some of whom, such as Secretary Mellon, Senator Pat Harrison, Senator {begin inserted text}(Heflin?){end inserted text} , could not accept. The party consisted of President and Mrs. Coolidge, Senator Ramsdale of Louisiana, Representative and

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Mrs. Johnson of South Dako {begin inserted text}t{end inserted text} a, Representative and Mrs. Scott Levitt of Montana, Representative {begin inserted text}Wilwood{end inserted text} Will Wood, and Representative and Mrs. Wood (two separate Representatives by the name of Wood), and Secretary and Mrs. Sanders. Most historic event occurred that day, May 9. in Richard Evelyn Byrd, known as "Dick" Byrd, {begin inserted text}who{end inserted text} graduate {begin inserted text}d{end inserted text} of {begin inserted text}in{end inserted text} the class of 1912 at the Naval Academy, flew over the North Pole. President Coolidge received the following message to that effect from the Chief Of Naval Operations, which stated:
"Msg for President Coolidge. We are sending you first details of Commander Byrd's successful flight over the North Pole. Byrd hopped off for North Pole from Kingsbay at 1:50 Sunday morning. He returned to that point at 4:20 Sunday afternoon, making his flying time 14 hours and 30 minutes. He reached the Pole by direct flight of 720 miles from base, then circled back and flew over Pearyland about 900 miles more. Since his cruising radius was supposed to be 1400 miles he took a big chance. He made an observation at the Pole without stopping. He dropped a weighted flag at the Pole. " Kindly send us some comment which if you request we will be glad to give to the press association.

Signed Ulahan, New York Times , 716 Albee Building (Washington, D. C.)

That message was followed by a subsequent one from the Chief of Naval Operations to the MAYFLOWER, to quote:
"Msg for President Coolidge. We are sure the public would appreciate anything you might care to say regarding the achievement of Commander Byrd in being the first to fly across the North Pole. Signed, Universal News."

Then from the MAYFLOWER to the Chief of Naval Operations, this

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message was sent:

"For Ulahan, New York Times , 716 Albee Building, Thanks for message. See statement given White House correspondent." That was sent via the Executive Clerk of the White House.

Also a similar message was sent from the President or the MAYFLOWER to Universal News, thanking them for having sent a message to the MAYFLOWER via the Executive Clerk of the White House in regard to Commander Byrd's flight.

The following message was sent from USS MAYFLOWER to Chief of Naval Operations: {begin inserted text}{begin handwritten}See page 542-a{end handwritten}{end inserted text}
"For Rudolph Foster, Executive Clerk White House, Give following statement to White House correspondents: 'The President sends his heartiest congratulations to Commander Byrd on the report that he has flown to the North Pole. It is a matter of great satisfaction that this record has been made by an American. The fact that the flight seems to have been accomplished without mishap demonstrates the high development of the art in this country. That it was made m y a man trained in the American Navy is a great satisfaction'."

It seems so providential that this historic v flight made by Dick Byrd over the North Pole should have been made while President Coolidge, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, was sailing aboard the presidential yacht MAYFLOWER. There was a great w excitement aboard that ship when the news came of this superb flight by a Naval officer. Dick Byrd was a contemporary of mine in the Navy and we were friends for many years. I have narrated in these memoirs how he and I together rushed to rescue victims of the terrible tragedy

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when the roof, from heavy snow, fell in on the Knickerbocker Theatre. We had many contacts from time to time over the years. The last time I saw him was at a luncheon at the Cosmos Club in Washington. Dick and I were the guests of the former Surgeon General of the Navy, Lamont Pugh. Lamont and Dick were very good friends. Lamont held great admiration for Dick.

Dick lived very much in seclusion in latter years. He had accomplished so much, written a great deal, not only flown over the North Pole and the South Pole, went to Europe. He was a man of great creative genius. Exploration was in his w {begin inserted text}s{end inserted text} oul. Contributed vitally to geography and exploration, in the opening up of new areas, as it were, in the world. He was not well in his later years and kept very much to himself. He had had so much adulation and appeared so much before the public, pushed around by crowds, was in great demand to speak, and wrote voluminously, that he became a very tired and a very worn-out man. He looked badly when I saw him at luncheon that day, showed fatigue. I felt, from his looks and what he said, that he wanted the rest of his days to be spent quietly with his thoughts in contemplation, for he had had enough of the tumult and the shouting, glorification. Naturally, he was proud of what he had accomplished. What he seemed to want most, as I observed that particular day, wanted rest and to be left pretty much alone. He played his part and walked across the page of life, heard the plaudits of the audience and crowds, accomplished what he set out to do many years before he did them, he had been honored {begin inserted text}and sung{end inserted text} almost the world over. I cannot help but feel he was ready to pull his mantle over himself

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and lie down in eternal pleasant pastures. I attended his funeral at Arlington Cemetery. He was given every honor a grateful nation can pay those who have acquitted themselves nobly and given a superb account of themselves to their fellow man and to their country. I have stood many times beside his grave , when visiting on it. Statue now on the roadway between Memorial Bridge and the gates to Arlington Cemetery. It was the first statue of anyone so authorized to be placed. The sculptor dressed him in his Arctic apparel, cap off, the winds blowing his hair, face turned skyward, gazing at the clouds {begin inserted text}(nautic?){end inserted text} those he had flown through many times, took his last journal and enter into gates of heaven.

(End of tape.)

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{begin inserted text}{begin handwritten}See page 540.{end handwritten}{end inserted text} On stationery of the presidential yacht, U. S.S. MAYFLOWER, President Coolidge wrote the message below in longhand while cruising aboard the yacht. He wrote it the day Richard flew over the North Pole and handed the note to me to deliver to the wireless office. (May 9, 1926)

JOEL T. BOONE

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