On August 2, 1923, Calvin Coolidge was vacationing at his father's home at Plymouth,Vermont when one night he was awakened by the tragic news of Warren Harding's death. Harding ,who had been on a public speaking tour of the West, when his health began to deteriorate, tried poorly to alleviate the scandal that have been plaguing his presidency. Praying by candlelight, Coolidge descended the stairs to the plain living room of his father's house, lighted only by two kerosene lamps. Upon an old wooden business desk, a copy of the US Constitution was found and Coolidge took the oath of office, as his father administered hi