Today in American History…former First Lady Grace Anna Goodhue Coolidge was born on January 3, 1879 in Burlington, Vermont.

In 1902 she graduated from The University of Vermont with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Teaching and is the very first First Lady to have earned a traditional four year undergraduate degree. After graduating from college, she taught at the Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech in Northampton, Massachusetts. She would remain loyal and dedicated to helping the deaf community for the rest of her life.

Mrs Coolidge was very social, extroverted and cheerful unlike her husband who was often silent and reserved.

In his autobiography, President Calvin Coolidge wrote about his marriage to Grace “For almost a quarter of a century she has borne with my infirmities, and I have rejoiced in her graces.”

She was a very popular First Lady and received a gold medal from the National Institute of Social Science. In 1931, she was voted one of America’s twelve greatest living women.