The Tormented President Calvin Coolidge, Death, and Clinical Depression

Subjects:

• Political Science » Presidential Studies
• Political Science » American Politics/Government
• History » American History -- 1900 to 1945

Reviews:

• This convincing reinterpretation of Coolidge's failed presidency provides new insight into the career of "one of the most misunderstood presidents in American history."... The author uses a biographical approach to contrast Coolidge's behavior before and after his son's death, demonstrating that the circumstances of his early life made him susceptible to depression, and showing how an active, engaged, disciplined, hard-working man became detached from the responsibilities of his office, consumed by his son's death, and distanced from associates, friends, and his wife and surviving son--virtually disabled....Recommended. General collections and upper-division undergraduates and above.
  —Choice November 2003

• Endorsement From William M. Fowler Jr.
  Director, Massachusetts Historical Society: Thanks to Gilbert, this much misunderstood president has finally found a voice. With an eloquence based on solid research, Gilbert presents the career of an extraordinary man from city council to the presidency.
• Endorsement From Betty Glad
  Olin D. Johnson Professor of Political Science, University of South Carolina: This excellent work is a real eye-opener, especially when it explores Coolidge's sleeping habits, temper tantrums, occasionally sadistic behavior, vulnerability to loss, and deep depression. For those interested in the role of first ladies in the presidency, Gilbert's portrait of Grace Coolidge is particularly revealing: she endured much as Calvin Coolidge's wife but bolstered him in ways that not even he could recognize.
• Endorsement From Aubrey Immelman
  Associate Professor of Psychology, St. John's University (Minnesota): Gilbert dispels the common view that Calvin Coolidge was a lazy, incompetent chief executive and provides convincing evidence that he was instead a talented and conscientious leader who was psychologically disabled for much of his presidency. This fascinating book offers a striking portrait of Coolidge, one never before presented. It is a compelling, penetrating, and powerful work!
• Endorsement From Jerrold M. Post, M.D.
  Director, Political Psychology Program, George Washington University: A tour de force, it will surely transform historical understanding of our 30th president. A one man interdisciplinary team, Gilbert has creatively integrated sophisticated political analysis with astute clinical psychological perceptiveness to demonstrate persuasively that the detached, lackluster, failed leadership of Coolidge's presidency was a consequence of a major depression precipitated by the tragic death of his beloved younger son. This is a remarkable book.

Table of Contents:

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• In the Beginning
• Career and Family
• From the Common Council to the Corner Office
• On the National Scene
• "They're Taking Our Boy Away"
• The Aftermath
• The End Game
• Grief and Depression
• Bibliographic Essay