SOLD President Calvin Coolidge’s Home Town Duns Him For Nonpayment of Taxes

Coolidge was a great believer in the civil service, saying in a State of the Union message, “The maintenance and extension of the classified civil service is exceedingly important.” He was the last man in the world to think of circumventing it to hire friends or neighbors, or to tolerate people who looked to him to do so.

In his final year as President, he received a letter from Edward J. Blanchard, an official of Coolidge’s home town of Plymouth, Vermont, and former president of its 1924 “Hometown Coolidge Club.” In it, Blanchard asks for just such a favor, and further takes the President of the United States to task for not paying his town taxes.

Typed Letter Signed as President on White House letterhead, Washington, September 26, 1928, to Blanchard. “I do not recall receiving any tax bill this year for our town. I wish you would be kind enough to get one and send it to me here. Some time ago your letter about Mrs. Pinney came. She probably does not understand that all I could do for her I did, which was to qualify her to hold a position under the government. There are many thousand who are like qualified under the Civil Service. All that the qualification means is that she is prepared to take a place, if there is any place where she is needed. I do not have anything to do about getting places for any one. You need not bother to tell her this, because she already knows it.”

This letter is pure Coolidge. He quickly asks for details of the bill, then underscores that he has done all for the woman he can. His final remark is to acerbically state that Blanchard need not “bother” to tell the woman; apparently the President told her off himself.