Willie Lincoln and Calvin Coolidge, Jr

[Juan Marrero]

There are a number of historians who state that there were two halves of the Calvin Coolidge presidency--before and after the tragic and sudden demise in July 1924 of his beloved son and namesake. Before, he seemed to enjoy the presidency and was an engaged chief executive. After his son's death, President Coolidge is said to have slept up to 15 hours per day and exhibited most of the symptoms of clinical depression--including bursts of anger, sometimes directed at Grace Coolidge. This lasted throughout the last 4.5 years of his roughly 5.5 year presidency.

Lincoln, of course, was traumatized by Willie's death, but he quickly returned his attention to the War and his duties as president. It is all speculation, obviously, but I wonder if Lincoln would have been like Coolidge if he was not facing an existential national crisis and whether Coolidge would have been more like Lincoln if he had not presided over, at least superficially, a "dormant" period.

In an odd way, did the Civil War save Lincoln in February 1862?