| depression |
Coolidge's 16 year old son Calvin died of sepsis (a bacterial infection) on July 7th, 1924. He had developed a blister on his toe after a game of tennis. A few days later, he was dead. The Democratic national convention, in session at the time, adjourned for the evening after the announcement was made [5a]. (Coolidge was a Republican.) The President suffered a period of utmost despondency without ever permitting anyone on the outside even to attempt to help him. He went about his routine almost as usual, giving no outward sign of what I knew to be a great emotional struggle. He never mentioned the illness or the loss of his son, and never gave me or anyone else a chance to express even a word of sympathy. It made me think he might have been far better off if he could have let some emotion show through, at least for a moment. [4a] Some believe that Coolidge's whole presidency changed after the death of his son. |
