Julia Stimson Thorne (September 16, 1944 – April 27, 2006) was an American writer. She was the first wife of John Kerry, who was U.S. Senator during their marriage.
Julia Thorne | |
|---|---|
| Second Lady of Massachusetts | |
| In role March 6, 1983 – January 2, 1985 | |
| Lieutenant Governor | John Kerry |
| Preceded by | Susan Dwight (1975) |
| Succeeded by | Jan Cellucci (1991) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Julia Stimson Thorne September 16, 1944 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | April 27, 2006 (aged 61) Concord, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Spouses |
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| Children | |
| Relatives |
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| Occupation | Writer |
Biography
editThorne was born in New York City on September 16, 1944, the daughter of Alice (Barry) and Landon Ketchum Thorne Jr.[1] Her maternal great-grandfather was journalist David S. Barry.[2][3] Thorne spent much of her childhood in Rome where her father worked various jobs.[4][2] She graduated from the Foxcroft School in 1962.[2] She also took some classes at the New York School of Interior Design and at Radcliffe.[1]
Julia Thorne was a direct eleventh generation descendant of John Bowne, a defiant activist in the struggle for religious freedom. William Thorne Sr., third signatory of the Flushing Remonstrance is also an ancestor. Thorne was also a distant cousin of her husband John Kerry through their common ancestor Elizabeth Fones.[citation needed]
Thorne married John Kerry on May 23, 1970, and wore a dress that was over "two centuries old."[2] She and Kerry had two daughters together, Alexandra Forbes Kerry and Vanessa Bradford Kerry.[1] During their marriage, Julia began showing signs of depression and later wrote that she had at one time contemplated suicide.[4] In the 1980s, she created a nonprofit called the Depression Initiative to educate people about depression.[1] Thorne and Kerry were divorced on July 25, 1988 after a six-year separation.[1] She overcame depression by 1990, and by all accounts the two had an amicable relationship.[5] She married Richard J. Charlesworth in 1997 and they moved to Bozeman, Montana.[1] She continued to be supportive of Kerry's run for president in 2004.[6] Thorne died from cancer on April 27, 2006, in her home in Concord, Massachusetts.[1]
Books
editHer book, You Are Not Alone: Words of Experience and Hope for the Journey Through Depression (1993) (with Larry Rothstein) (ISBN 0-06-096977-6) collects accounts of different people who have faced depression.[4] Ann Landers wrote that "this little book could be a lifesaver and the best $10 you will ever spend."[7]
A Change of Heart: Words of Experience and Hope for the Journey Through Divorce (1996) (ISBN 0-06-095105-2)
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g "Julia Thorne, 61; Author Was Former Wife of John Kerry". The Los Angeles Times. April 29, 2006. Retrieved October 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d Randolph, Nancy (May 24, 1970). "Julia Stimson Thorne Bride of John Kerry". Daily News. Retrieved October 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "John Kerry Weds Miss Julia Thorne". The New York Times. May 24, 1970.
- ^ a b c Doten, Patti (March 8, 1994). "Defying Depression". The Boston Globe. p. 51. Retrieved October 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. "Defying Depression". The Boston Globe. March 8, 1994. p. 55. Retrieved October 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Madame Ex". Archived from the original on November 23, 2005. Retrieved April 29, 2006.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link); The Washingtonian; July 1996 - ^ Beam, Alex (December 3, 2002). "A Slight Problem With the Kerry Profile". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Landers, Ann (December 5, 1993). "New Book Deals With Illness 21 Million Suffer". The Press-Tribune. Retrieved October 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.