Coolidge became president because Warren G. Harding died in office in August 1923. His father, a notary public, swore in his son to the office of the presidency at nearly 3:00 A.M. on August 3, 1923.

Coolidge did not have a vice president for his first couple years, as he filled out Harding’s first term. After he won the election of 1924, his vice president was Charles G. Dawes, who had served capably as the first director of the Budget Bureau under President Harding. He later earned fame for his role in determining the reparations that Germany must pay after World War I. Dawes won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in 1925. He was a great-great grandson of William Dawes, who rode with Paul Revere on the famous “Midnight Ride,” warning colonists about the impending British forces near Lexington and Concord.