Arthur W. Coolidge

Arthur William Coolidge (October 13, 1881 – January 23, 1952) was a Massachusetts politician who served multiple positions within the state government.[1]

Arthur W. Coolidge
56th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
In office
January 2, 1947 – January 6, 1949
GovernorRobert F. Bradford
Preceded byRobert F. Bradford
Succeeded byCharles F. Sullivan
President of the Massachusetts Senate
In office
1945–1946
Preceded byJarvis Hunt
Succeeded byDonald W. Nicholson
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
from the 7th Middlesex District
In office
1941–1946
Preceded byJoseph R. Cotton
Succeeded byGeorge 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.
DiedJanuary 23, 1952 (aged 70)
Reading, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseMabel Tilton
RelationsRichard B. Coolidge (brother)
Calvin Coolidge (cousin)
Martha Coolidge (granddaughter)
Children2
ProfessionAttorney

Early life

Coolidge was born in Cumberland County, Maine.

Career

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

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

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

References
  1. "Arthur W. Coolidge". Archived from the original on 2012-10-17. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  2. Clarke, Bradley H. (2003). Streetcar Lines of the Hub - The 1940s. Boston Street Railway Association. pp. 15–17. ISBN 0938315056.
  3. "Tufts Digital Library". Archived from the original on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2013-05-19.
  4. Lybarger, Dan (2003-04-16). "The Prince & Me - Interview with Martha Coolidge". Nitrate. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
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