Emotional Life:
Anger &
Agitation
Even as a young man, Otis was intense and unpredictable. Underlying traits like impulsivity, obsessiveness, and a short temper grew uncontrollable as Otis navigated the high-stakes politics of the 1760s.
Early signs, 1740-1750s
Otis was popular during his Harvard years, although his behavior was sometimes strange. Otis would play the fiddle for his friends while they danced, and then stop suddenly and run into the garden, inviting them to chase him. As a student, he was almost excessively devoted to his studies. His brother Joseph nervously reported to their father that James “has taken so close to his studies that he scarcely allows himself time to eat decently or sleep.”
A Prospect of the Colledges (detail), 1726
At Harvard, Otis was known to be incredibly studious, reading classical texts as well as contemporary Enlightenment thought.
Mounting Pressure, Heated Temper, 1750-1760s
When Otis joined his father in the political scene, he was dragged into longstanding family rivalries, and took political snubs very personally. Wanting to uphold his family’s reputation and his father’s honor, Otis flew into a rage when his father was passed over for the position of Chief Justice of the Superior Court. The position was given to Thomas Hutchinson, chief among the Otis family competitors.
Otis found it hard to control his temper, and those who faced his wrath often compared him to fire and flame. In 1761 Governor Bernard wrote, “If you are acquainted with the natural Violence of his temper, suppose it to be augmented beyond all bounds of Common decency.”
Smoldering Nerves, 1760s
Inside the Massachusetts House of Representatives, tensions rose as Parliament passed more laws taxing the colonies. James Otis fought his political rivals inside the House Chamber, in the papers, and even at home. His wife, Ruth Cunningham Otis was a fierce loyalist with whom he frequently argued. Trying to avoid this distinctly intimate confrontation, Otis was seen many times in a drunken stupor, hiding from his family.
Despite being a leader of a movement pushing for reform, Otis was a faithful subject of the British Crown. He was caught between his personal dedication to the government and his prominent position in the radical movement. Shortly after the Stamp Act riots, he confided in his sister Mercy Otis Warren about his constant anxiety and weariness. John Adams detailed his friend’s unsettled, paranoid mind, saying:
“Otis is fiery and fev'rous. His Imagination flames, his Passions blaze. He is liable to great Inequalities of Temper-sometimes in Despondency, sometimes in a Rage.”
- John Adams, December 23, 1765
Positioned for Collapse, 1769
Otis had been leading the radical movement for nearly eight years, during which time he suffered from anxiety and mood swings, made worse by his alcohol abuse. He fought passionately for his country, but couldn’t bring himself to mend tensions with his own wife or confront his concerns about where the political movement was going.
Otis leaned into his frustrations in the summer of 1769. Unknowingly, he had positioned himself perfectly for a devastating mental collapse.