Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge was yet another president who suffered from many losses in his family. He tragically lost his mother when he was only 12 years old, followed by his sister, Abigail, five years later. His father was the only one to rule the home, and he did it with an iron hand.
Initially, his full name was Calvin John Coolidge, but he decided to drop the “John,” which led many to believe it was due to deep resentment of his father’s ways. He also became terribly bitter and angry, as many described him.
While he was president, he suffered another terrible loss when his favorite son, Calvin, passed away. After his son’s death, Coolidge showed increasingly more symptoms of depression, such as fatigue, guilt, loss of appetite, and spending most of the time sleeping and napping.
He was described by many as incredibly unproductive, avoiding any kind of decision-making or interaction. His depression was so bad that he had many outbursts of anger directed at his staff and family.
If you ask some writers, they will speculate that depression might have contributed to his death four years after he left office, but the theory is still nothing but speculative at best. If you’re curious to read more stories about people who struggled with depression and mental illness, here’s what we recommend: Dealing With Retirement Depression? 7 Tips on How to Overcome It
