5 US presidents and the ill-health they kept out of the public eye

Given the reaction to Hillary Clinton's pneumonia, it's no wonder politicians hide their ailments

Mary Hallissey
September 14, 2016

A rare 1941 photo of FDR in a wheelchair. Pic: Margaret Suckley

This week's disclosure that presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is suffering from pneumonia has thrown the issue of politicians' health firmly into the spotlight.

But do political leaders have a duty to make a full declaration of their health woes - or are such matters better kept in the private domain?

From vomiting at a state banquet to a galloping painkiller habit, US presidents have in the past battled a variety of ailments, some kept hidden - and some in the full glare of the public eye.

A network of advisors and spin doctors that surround top-level politicos managed - prior to the age of social media - to keep many infirmities out of the public eye.

ButHillary Clinton's knee-buckle at a 9/11 memorial ceremony this weekend was transmitted instantly around the world.

The incident prompted questions about her medical fitness for office at a key juncture in her campaign and her running mate is now coming under intense scrutiny in case he ends up in an executive role.

Choosing Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, Hillary made her top priority clear: Kaine had to be ready to assume office "if something were to happen".

The US public takes a serious view on the health of its leaders, particularly given the executive role of the presidency.

Aspiring to the most powerful office on the planet, in a country with a live-to-work culture, now means political candidates live at an extreme level of health accountability.

Here are five past presidents who managed to struggle with medical issues in private:

1) Woodrow Wilson was in office from 1913-1921.

In the aftermath of negotiation of the Treaty of Versailles, he had a stroke which left him invalided until the end of his presidency in 1921. His wife acted as go-between, communicating his wishes to his cabinet.

2) Franklin D Roosevelt (US president 1933-1945) was diagnosed with poliomyelitis in 1921.

He was left with permanent paralysis from the waist down, and was unable to stand or walk without support but then laboriously taught himself how to walk while wearing iron braces on his hips.

He made sure never to be seen in public in his wheelchair and kept the extent of his paralysis hidden from the public.

3) US president from 1961-63, John Fitzgerald Kennedy suffered from degenerative bone disease while in office and was treated with regular cortisone injections, part of a cocktail of medication he took to deal with chronic pain. His lifelong medical problems have been described as one of the best-kept secrets of recent US history.

JFK also suffered from Addison’s disease, a condition of the adrenal glands causing deficiency in the hormones needed to regulate blood sugar, sodium and potassium, and the response to stress. In addition he suffered from ulcers and colitis.

By the time of his assassination, in 1963, Kennedy was taking an extraordinary variety of medication on a daily basis.

4) Ronald Reagan, who served as 40th US president from 1981-89, was operated on to remove cancerous polyps from his colon in 1985. During the operation, power was transferred to his vice-president George Bush.

He developed Alzheimer's Disease after leaving office in 1988, finally disclosing his diagnosis in 1994.

5) In 1992, 41st president George W Bush (1989-93) vomited across the table at a state banquet hosted by the prime minister of Japan, Kiichi Miyazawa.

His handlers insisted he was simply suffering from intestinal flu after the episode was graphically captured on TV.

In 2015 a new biography revealed that, in 1992, he was diagnosed with Grave's Disease, a thyroid problem which led to lethargy.

His biographer said: "His heart was in the race for re-election but his thyroid wasn't."

5 US presidents and the ill-health they kept out of the public eye

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