President Coolidge offered condolences to Nina Burton following the death of her husband and Coolidge’s friend, U-M President Marion L. Burton.
HAIL! TO THE CHIEF
Presidential Visits to the University of Michigan
Calvin Coolidge
When U-M President Marion L. Burton died in February 1925, so did hopes of President Calvin Coolidge coming to campus as that spring’s commencement speaker.
The friendship between Burton and Coolidge dated to their days in Massachusetts when Coolidge was governor and Burton was president of Smith College.
In June 1924, as U-M president, Burton delivered a rousing nominating speech for Coolidge at the National Republican Convention. The Los Angeles Times depicted Burton as “tall, stalwart, red-headed, sweating, chin-thrusting…wrathful.”
It appeared Coolidge planned to reciprocate his friend’s speech with a talk at the University. Reports were that Coolidge planned to accept an invitation from the Board of Regents to address U-M graduates at June 1925 ceremonies. Following Burton’s death, however, Coolidge changed his mind about an Ann Arbor visit.
Sources: New York Times; Los Angeles Times; Marion Leroy Burton papers, Bentley Historical Library
Letter: Marion L. Burton papers, Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan