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 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
Her book, You Are Not Alone: Words of Experience and Hope for the Journey Through Depression (1993) (with Larry Rothstein) (ISBN0-06-096977-6) 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) (ISBN0-06-095105-2)
^ abcDoten, 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