"I think the American people want a solemn ass as a President," he once told Ethel Barrymore, "and I think I will go along with them."[91] Some historians suggest that Coolidge's image was created deliberately as a campaign tactic,[92] while others believe his withdrawn and quiet behavior to be natural, deepening after the death of his son in 1924.[93] Dorothy Parker, upon learning that Coolidge had died, reportedly remarked, "How can they tell?"[94]

Presidency (1923−1929)
Main articles: Presidency of Calvin Coolidge and First inauguration of Calvin Coolidge
For a chronological guide, see Timeline of the Calvin Coolidge presidency.
On August 2, 1923, President Harding died unexpectedly from a heart attack in San Francisco while on a speaking tour of the western United States. Vice President Coolidge was in Vermont visiting his family home, which had neither electricity nor a telephone, when he received word by messenger of Harding's death.[95] Coolidge dressed, said a prayer, and came downstairs to greet the reporters who had assembled.