Julia Stimson Thorne (September 16, 1944 – April 27, 2006) was an American writer. She was the first wife of
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...
, who was
U.S. Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
during their marriage.
Biography
Thorne was born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on September 16, 1944, the daughter of Alice (Barry) and Landon Ketchum Thorne, Jr.
Her maternal great-grandfather was journalist
David S. Barry.
Thorne spent much of her childhood in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
where her father worked various jobs.
[ ] She graduated from the
Foxcroft School in 1962.
She also took some classes at the
New York School of Interior Design
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
and at
Radcliffe
Radcliffe or Radcliff may refer to:
Places
* Radcliffe Line, a border between India and Pakistan
United Kingdom
* Radcliffe, Greater Manchester
** Radcliffe Tower, the remains of a medieval manor house in the town
** Radcliffe tram stop
* ...
.
Julia Thorne was a direct eleventh generation descendant of
John Bowne
John Bowne (1627–1695), the progenitor of the Bowne family in America, was a Quaker and an English immigrant residing in the Dutch colony of New Netherland. He is historically significant for his struggle for religious liberty.
Background
Born i ...
, 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
Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Feake Hallett (21 January 1610 – c. 1673) was an early settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1640 Fones, with her then-husband Robert Feake, were founders of Greenwich, Connecticut. Wolfe (2012)
She married her t ...
.
Thorne married
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...
on May 23, 1970, and wore a dress that was over "two centuries old."
She and Kerry had two daughters together,
Alexandra Forbes Kerry and
Vanessa Bradford Kerry.
During their marriage, Julia began showing signs of depression and later wrote that she had at one time contemplated
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
.
In the 1980s, she created a nonprofit called the Depression Initiative to educate people about depression.
Thorne and Kerry were divorced on July 25, 1988 after a six-year separation.
She overcame depression by 1990, and by all accounts the two had an amicable relationship. She married Richard J. Charlesworth in 1997 and they moved to
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of th ...
.
She continued to be supportive of
Kerry's run for president in 2004.
Thorne died from
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
on April 27, 2006, in her home in
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the conflu ...
.
Books
Her book, ''You Are Not Alone: Words of Experience and Hope for the Journey Through Depression'' (1993) (with Larry Rothstein) () collects accounts of different people who have faced depression.
Ann Landers
Ann Landers was a pen name created by ''Chicago Sun-Times'' advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Esther Pauline "Eppie" Lederer (July 4, 1918 – June 22, 2002) in 1955. For 56 years, the Ask Ann Landers syndicated ad ...
wrote that "this little book could be a lifesaver and the best $10 you will ever spend."
''A Change of Heart: Words of Experience and Hope for the Journey Through Divorce'' (1996) ()
References
External links
Julia Stimson Thorne's Family Tree
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorne, Julia
1944 births
2006 deaths
American motivational writers
Women motivational writers
Deaths from cancer in Massachusetts
Deaths from bladder cancer
Forbes family
John Kerry
Kerry family
Winthrop family
Writers from Bozeman, Montana
People from Concord, Massachusetts
Writers from New York City
Spouses of Massachusetts politicians
American twins
People from Bay Shore, New York