Presidents in the Cosmos

Minor Presidential Associations

Two presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge, have had minor associations with the Cosmos Club.

	President Roosevelt (U.S. President, 1901-1909; Cosmos Club associate member, June-December 1889).Library of Congress photo.
	President Roosevelt's membership record. Document in Cosmos Club archives.

Theodore Roosevelt was elected to associate membership for six months in June 1889, when he served as a member of the U.S. Civil Service Commission.

Page from newspaper describing Roosevelt's connection to Cosmos Club

Story in the New York Sun, Sunday, 10 June 1889, attributing Theodore Roosevelt's decision to accept the position of Civil Service Commissioner to his desire to participate in Cosmos Club discussions on natural history.

President Calvin Coolidge

Photo of Calvin Coolidge and Mrs. Coolidge working in the yard of their home.

Vice President Calvin Coolidge and Mrs. Coolidge at home. Even while doing yard work, the Vice President's shoes gleamed and his tie was neat. He needed only the addition of a jacket to be appropriately dressed to dine at the Cosmos Club.Vermont Historical Society photo.

In 1921, while he served as Vice President, Calvin Coolidge was elected to Cosmos Club membership apparently without his knowledge. When he was informed of his election and presented with a bill for dues, he declined the honor. Coolidge served as U.S. President from 1923 to 1929.

	After Vice President Coolidge was elected, the Club billed him for his initiation fee of $50 and his annual dues of $35. With an additional 10% war tax still in effect, his obligation came to $93.50.Document in Cosmos Club archives.
	Living up to his reputation as a man of few words, Vice President Coolidge declined the offer of membership in two brief paragraphs.Document in Cosmos Club archives.