# Presidential suicide? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2023, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450 "2023-05-02T06:20:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/1 "2023-05-02T06:20:57Z")
Has any country’s head of state ever died by their own hand while still in office? How about governor? ETA: Oh, yeah. Hitler. Anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/2 "2023-05-02T07:07:40Z")
[Here is a fairly extensive list on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_state_and_government_who_committed_suicide). ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/3 "2023-05-02T09:35:14Z")
That Wikipedia page led me to this eye-catching story: > On 1 June 2001, Dipendra opened fire at a house on the grounds of the [Narayanhity Royal Palace](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narayanhity_Royal_Palace), the residence of the [Nepalese monarchy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepalese_monarchy), where a party was being held. He shot and killed his father, King Birendra, his mother, Queen Aishwarya, his younger brother and sister and other members of the royal family before shooting himself in the head. Because he had killed most of the line of succession, he became king while in a comatose state from the head wound. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/4 "2023-05-02T11:06:50Z")
Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt (PM - Jan 1966 - Dec 1967) disappeared while in office swimming in heavy surf in Victoria. His body was never found, but [one of the possible options was suicide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Harold_Holt), although many people preferred the idea that he was a deep-cover Communist agent and had been picked up by a Chinese submarine. Regardless, Australia mourned its loss by opening the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre; touching yet hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/5 "2023-05-02T11:14:42Z")
> [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Because he had killed most of the line of succession, he became king while in a comatose state from the head wound. He should have been executed, not coronated, while in a comatose state from a head wound. 😠 ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/6 "2023-05-02T11:19:00Z")
I remember reading bout this when it happened. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/7 "2023-05-02T12:47:38Z")
Not exactly by his own hand, and hardly intentionally, but President Félix Faure of France died of a stroke while he was busy with his mistress. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/8 "2023-05-02T13:02:28Z")
[Jan Masaryk](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Masaryk) was the Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia in 1948 when the communists took over the country. He was the only non-communist who was allowed to stay on in his position. A few weeks later, he was found dead in his pajamas in the courtyard below his bedroom window. The official ruling was suicide, but many believe that he was murdered by the new regime. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/9 "2023-05-02T13:11:04Z")
Chilean president [Salvador Allende](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Salvador_Allende) may or may not have committed suicide in a coup. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/10 "2023-05-02T13:21:32Z")
Cleopatra is probably the most famous one on that list. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/11 "2023-05-02T13:27:23Z")
The Roman Emperor Nero ordered one of his servants to murder him, which is a suicide in some sense. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/12 "2023-05-02T18:39:24Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > He should have been executed, not coronated, while in a comatose state from a head wound. 😠 The succesion was automatic, but if he survived he probably would’ve been deposed and tried for his crimes. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/13 "2023-05-02T19:33:46Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > [Here is a fairly extensive list on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_state_and_government_who_committed_suicide). The odd (to most Americans) of distunguishing “head of state” and “head of government” rears its weird … head. Of course Hitler is listed but I forgot about Goebbels. Strangely, he is listed as not in office at time of death. As Chancellor of Germany he was either a head of something or not but definitely in office. (Since Karl Dönitz was President.) ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/14 "2023-05-02T20:22:22Z")
Not suicide, but fairly unique. In 1672 the Dutch prime minister\*, Johan de Witt, along with his brother, was literally eaten (partially, one presumes) by an angry mob of Orangists who were upset that the house of Orange was not in power over all of Netherlands, and because France had invaded and run roughshod over that country. \*They didn’t actually have a prime minister at that time, he had been the Stadtholder, who was the head of the Dutch Republic, and had recently resigned to try to avoid trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2023, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/15 "2023-05-02T21:23:00Z")
You know, people give Hitler a lot of grief, but to his credit, he did kill Hitler. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/16 "2023-05-03T00:29:53Z")
[Mithridates VI Eupator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithridates_VI_Eupator). Interesting case. He spent years taking small doses of various poisons to build up an immunity. When he wanted to die, he tried taking poison, but it didn’t work. So he ordered his bodyguard to stab him. Wasn’t on the Wiki list. I just added it. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/17 "2023-05-03T00:49:46Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You know, people give Hitler a lot of grief, but to his credit, he did kill Hitler. Problem is that he was 5 years too late. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/18 "2023-05-03T00:59:33Z")
More than five, I’d think… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/19 "2023-05-03T01:12:07Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > > [@Chronos](#): > > > > You know, people give Hitler a lot of grief, but to his credit, he did kill Hitler. > > Problem is that he was 5 years too late. There’s an xkcd _almost_ for that. Of course. > **[Kill Hitler](https://xkcd.com/1063/)** > > Revised directive: It is forbidden for you to interfere with human history until you've at least taken a class on it. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2023, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450/20 "2023-05-03T03:37:31Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt (PM - Jan 1966 - Dec 1967) disappeared while in office swimming in heavy surf in Victoria. > > His body was never found, but [one of the possible options was suicide](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Harold_Holt), although many people preferred the idea that he was a deep-cover Communist agent and had been picked up by a Chinese submarine. … and his successor John McEwan did commit suicide although not while in office. He was in such pain in old age he refused food till he died. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presidential-suicide/983450.md?page=2)