Arthur W. Coolidge
Arthur W. Coolidge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 56th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |
| In office January 2, 1947 – January 6, 1949 | |
| Governor | Robert F. Bradford |
| Preceded by | Robert F. Bradford |
| Succeeded by | Charles F. Sullivan |
| President of the Massachusetts Senate | |
| In office 1945–1946 | |
| Preceded by | Jarvis Hunt |
| Succeeded by | Donald W. Nicholson |
| Member of the Massachusetts Senate from the 7th Middlesex District | |
| In office 1941–1946 | |
| Preceded by | Joseph R. Cotton |
| Succeeded by | George Jelly Evans |
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives | |
| In office 1937–1940 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Arthur William Coolidge October 13, 1881 Cumberland County, Maine, U.S. |
| Died | January 23, 1952 (aged 70) Reading, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Mabel Tilton |
| Relations | Richard B. Coolidge (brother) Calvin Coolidge (cousin) Martha Coolidge (granddaughter) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Tufts University (1903) Harvard Law School (1906) |
| Profession | Attorney |
Arthur William Coolidge (October 13, 1881 – January 23, 1952) was a Massachusetts politician who served multiple positions within the state government.[1]
Early life
[edit]Coolidge was born in Cumberland County, Maine.
Career
[edit]Coolidge worked as a lawyer before becoming a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1937–1940) and of the Massachusetts State Senate (1941–1946). From 1947 to 1949 he was the 56th lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. He was the Republican nominee for governor in 1950.
From 1943 to 1947, Coolidge was head of a legislative commission (popularly known as the Coolidge Commission) to address the future of the Boston Elevated Railway (BERy). The commission proposed a number of suburban extensions – some of which were built over the following four decades – and created the plans to reform the BERy as the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the predecessor of the modern Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.[2]
A Unitarian and Freemason, Coolidge served as Grand Master of Masons (1943–1944) and a member of the American Bar Association and Theta Delta Chi. In 1951, he was elected as a member of the Massachusetts Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.
Personal life
[edit]A fourth cousin to President Calvin Coolidge, he had one daughter, Dorothy Coolidge Cox and two sons: Robert Tilton Coolidge (1915–1955) and Arthur William Coolidge II.[3] One of his grandchildren is film director Martha Coolidge.[4]
He was brother of Massachusetts politician Richard B. Coolidge.
Death
[edit]Coolidge died at his home in Boston and is buried in Forest Glen Cemetery in Reading, Massachusetts. The Arthur W. Coolidge Middle School was named in his honor.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Arthur W. Coolidge". Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
- ^ Clarke, Bradley H. (2003). Streetcar Lines of the Hub - The 1940s. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 15–17. ISBN 0938315056.
- ^ "Tufts Digital Library". Archived from the original on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
- ^ Lybarger, Dan (2003-04-16). "The Prince & Me - Interview with Martha Coolidge". Nitrate. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
External links
[edit]- Arthur W. Coolidge at the political graveyard
- https://web.archive.org/web/20100313213251/http://www.harvardlodge.org/membersofnote.htm
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1881 births
- 1952 deaths
- People from Cumberland County, Maine
- People from Reading, Massachusetts
- Massachusetts lawyers
- Republican Party Massachusetts state senators
- Presidents of the Massachusetts Senate
- Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
- Lieutenant governors of Massachusetts
- Coolidge family
- 20th-century American politicians
- 20th-century American lawyers
- Tufts University alumni
- Harvard Law School alumni