Who Was The Quiet American?

The reason for this honour is that he was remarkably very uncommunicative and did not waste words unnecessary. It seems this inability of him to communicate openly was a severe handicap and he tried to compensate for it by means of wittiness.

It is told about him that a friend missed a church service that President Coolidge had attended. His friend asked him what the preacher had to say about sin and his dry witty reply was; ‘He said he was against sin’.

Another story told about him is that at a public dinner function he was sitting at a table with other dignitaries. One of the women there told him that when she saw the table arrangements indicating that he would be sharing her table, she made a bet with some of her friends that during the evening she could make him speak at least three words to her. His only reply to her and subsequently his last words for the evening to her was; ‘You lose’.

There is also the witty story about Dorothy Parker relating to the death of President Coolidge. Dorothy Parker (22 August 1893 – 7 June 1967) was an American poet and satirist and best known for her wit. Apparently, when she was told that President Coolidge was dead she merely asked: ‘How can they tell’?

In spite of his word economy and uncommunicative streak, President Coolidge did not lack the skill to lead America.