Jr. Insanity File. The Case of Mary Todd Lincoln; 1986 reprintSouthern Illinois University Press: Carbondale and EdwardsvilleFrom Abraham Lincoln's first engagement to Mary Todd Lincoln in 1840 the couple seemed destined for controversy. Yet deep tragedy would find that the life of Abraham Lincoln, as well as the life of his widow would fall apart. In 1875 Robert Todd Lincoln had his mother Mary Todd Lincoln committed into an insane asylum.The results from the letters and documents while Mary Todd Lincoln addresses several areas of conflict in the life of the widow of Abraham Lincoln: the extent of her illness, the motives of those who had her committed for treatment, and the fairness of her trial. Related issues include the status of women under the law as well as the legal and medical treatment of insanity.Speculating on the reasons for her mental condition, the authors note that Mrs. Lincoln suffered an extraordinary amount of tragedy in a relatively few years. Three of her four sons died very young, and Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. After the death of her son Willie she maintained a darkly rigorous mourning for nearly three years, prompting the president to warn her that excessive sorrow might force him to send her to "that large white house on the hill yonder," The government hospital for the insane.Mrs.Lincoln also suffered anxiety about money, charting an exceptionally erratic financial course. Lincoln exploded in anger at the spectacle of extravagance displayed by his wife while soldiers shivered without blankets. She had spent lavishly during her husband's presidency and at his death found herself deeply in debt. She had purchased trunkloads of drapes to hang over nonexistent windows, 84 pairs of kids gloves in less than one month and $3,200 worth jewelry in three months preceding Lincoln's assassination. She tried to hide her $6,000 ineptness from David Davis and her son Robert. She followed the same course for...
