Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/392

 COOLIDGE

COOLIDGE

dential elector in 1845, when the vote of Vermont was given to Henry Clay. In 1848 he was the Wliig candidate for governor, and there being no election by the people, he was chosen by the legislature as governor. He was re-elected in the same w^ay in 1849. He served as state senator, 1853-55. He was married to Harriet Bingham of Claremont. He received the hono- rary degree of A.M. from the University of Ver- mont in 1835 and that of LL.D. from Middlebury in 1849. He died at Windsor, Vt., Aug. 14, 1866.

COOLIDGE, Frederic Spaulding, represen- tative, was born in "Westminster, Mass., Dec. 7, 1841; son of Charles and Nancy (Spaulding) Coolidge; grandson of Henry and Lovisa (Weth- erbee) Coolidge, and of Timothy and Lj'-dia (Moore) Spaulding; and a descendant of John Coolidge who was made freeman in Watertown, Mass., in 1636, and of Edward Spaulding, who came from England about 1619. He attended common schools and entered business life as a manufacturer of chairs and chair cane. He held various municipal offices and was a member of the Democratic state central committee for three years; a representative to the general court of Massachusetts in 1875, and a candidate for presidential elector on the Democratic ticket in 1888. In 1890 he was elected as a Democrat a representative from the eleventh Massachusetts district in the 52d congress and was defeated for re-election to the 53d congress hv L. D. Apsley in the new fourth district. He opjjosed the Chinese exclusion act and the opening of the Columbian exhibition on Sundays; both meas- ures being defeated.

COOLIDGE, Sidney, scientist, was born in Boston, Mass., Aug. 22, 1830; third son of Joseph and Ellen Wayles (Randolph) Coolidge, and a direct descendant of John Coolidge, who left England in 1630, settled in Watertown, Mass., and afterward acquired property in Boston. On his mother's side he was a lineal great-grandson of Thomas Jefferson, president of the United States. He was educated in Europe, first at Geneva and Vevay, and afterward at the Rojal military college of Dresden. He engaged as a civil engineer in Virginia and Minnesota; was employed in the office of the Ncmtical Almanac and in the observatory at Cambridge, Mass., and in 1853 was appointed astronomer to Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan. In 1854 he was stationed at the Cambridge observatory and as- sisted Professor Bond in his observations of the rings of Saturn, the orbits of Hyperion, and the satellites of Neptune. In 1855 he was in charge of an expedition to determine the difference in longitude between Greenwich, England, and Cambridge, Mass., and in 1857 he received the honorary degree of A.M. from Harvard. He

went to Lake Mistassinni, where in 1856-57 he studied astronomical sviperstitions of the Indians. He served in the war in Mexico, was taken prisoner and condemned to be shot, but was afterv^'ard paroled. He engaged in the land sur- vey of Arizona in 1860. On the outbreak of the civil war was made major of the 16th U.S. infan- try and at Hoover's Gap he led his regiment, and at the battle of Chickamauga was in command of three regiments including the 16th, which came out of the battle with but five officers and twentj'-three men. Here Major Coolidge was killed while leading a charge and his body was never recovered. His sword was recaptured from General Gowan, who surrendered at Jonesboro, Ga., in September, 1864. The Confederate general had had engraved upon it " Captured at Chicka- mauga, Sept. 20, 1863." By a curious coinci- dence the sword had been presented to Major Coolidge in September, 1862. The recaptured sword was sent by Gen. B. F. Butler to Thomas- Jefferson Coolidge, a brother of the deceased sol- dier. Major Coolidge died Sept. 19, 1863.

COOLIDGE, Susan, author (see Woolsey, Sarali Cliauncey) •

COOLIDGE, Thomas Jefferson, diplomatist, was born in Boston, Mass., Aug. 26, 1831; son of Joseph and Ellen Wayles (Randolph) Coolidge, and a descendant of John Coolidge, who emi- grated from England in 1630 and settled in Watertown, Mass. Joseph Coolidge was born in. Boston, 1798; grad- uated from Harvard in 1817; subsequently travelled in Europe, where he made the acquaintance of Lord Bryon, who gave an account of the friend- ship in his joiunal un- der date of 1:^:1; "vvas married in \S2o to Miss Randolph, a grand- daughter of Tliomas Jefferson, and died ^_^

Dec. 15, 1879. His iT'- ^^^'^^■ri^tP^z^ Co-tr&c^z^ Avife died in 1876. ^ '^

Thomas Jefferson Coolidge was educated with his brothers at Geneva and Dresden, remnining in Europe for eight years. He then entered the sophomore class at Harvard and was grad- uated in 1850, after which he became clerk in the store of William Perkins, Boston. He was- married in 1852 to Hetty S., daughter of William Appleton. He died in Boston, Mass., in March, 1902. In 1853 lie engaged in the East India trade with J. P. Gardner and in the progress of business lie became interested in bank- ing, manufacturing and tran.si)ortation enter-