Calvin Coolidge was a man of few words. Upon the sudden death of President Warren G. Harding in 1923, Coolidge became the 30th President of the United States and earned the nickname “Silent Cal.”

Often called the “most negative” and “remote” of U.S. Presidents, Coolidge has also been called the “most accessible” of U.S. Presidents. When asked by successful businessman Bernard Baruch why he did not talk much during interviews, Coolidge explained, “Well, Baruch, many times I say only ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to people. Even that is too much. It winds them up for twenty minutes more.”

In a story recounted by First Lady Grace Coolidge, a young woman once sat next to the President at a dinner party. She told him that she made a bet she could get him to have a conversation of three words or more. According to the First Lady, Coolidge, without even looking at the young woman, quietly responded, “You lose.”