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Julia Thorne

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This article is about the deceased ex-wife of US Senator John Kerry. For the name's use on the American TV series "Alias", see Sydney Bristow.

Julia Thorne
Second Lady of Massachusetts
In role
March 6, 1983 – January 2, 1985
GovernorMichael Dukakis
Preceded bySusan Dwight (1975)
Succeeded byJan Cellucci (1991)
Personal details
Born
Julia Stimson Thorne

(1944-09-16)September 16, 1944
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedApril 27, 2006(2006-04-27) (aged 61)
Concord, Massachusetts, U.S.
Cause of deathBladder cancer
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1970; div. 1988)​

Richard Charlesworth
​
​
(m. 1997)​
ChildrenAlexandra Kerry
Vanessa Kerry
RelativesDavid Thorne (twin brother)
OccupationWriter

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 and later a 2004 Democratic presidential nominee and a U.S. Secretary of State.

Biography

Thorne was born in New York City on September 16, 1944, the daughter of Alice and Landon K. Thorne Jr.[1] Her maternal great-grandfather was journalist David S. Barry.[2] Thorne spent much of her childhood in Rome where her father worked various jobs.[3][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.

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.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5]

Thorne died from cancer on April 27, 2006, in her home in Concord, Massachusetts.[1]

Books

Her 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.[3] Ann Landers wrote that "this little book could be a lifesaver and the best $10 you will ever spend."[6]

A Change of Heart: Words of Experience and Hope for the Journey Through Divorce (1996) (ISBN 0-06-095105-2)

References

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "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
  5. ^ Beam, Alex (December 3, 2002). "A Slight Problem With the Kerry Profile". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Landers, Ann (December 5, 1993). "New Book Deals With Illness 21 Million Suffer". The Press-Tribune. Retrieved October 21, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
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