Mary Lincoln’s Insanity Case: A Documentary History

In this volume, noted Lincoln scholar Jason Emerson provides a documentary history of Mary Lincoln’s mental illness and insanity case, evenhandedly presenting every possible primary source on the subject to enable a clearer view of the facts. Beginning with documents from the immediate aftermath of her husband’s assassination and ending with reminiscences by friends and family in the mid-twentieth century, Mary Lincoln’s Insanity Case: A Documentary History compiles more than one hundred letters, dozens of newspaper articles, editorials, and legal documents, and the daily patient progress reports from Bellevue Place Sanitarium during Mary Lincoln’s incarceration. Including many materials that have never been previously published, Emerson also collects multiple reminiscences, interviews, and diaries of people who knew Mary Lincoln or were involved in the case, including the first-hand recollection of one of the jurors in the 1875 insanity trial.

Suggesting neither accusation nor exoneration of the embattled First Lady, Mary Lincoln’s Insanity Case: A Documentary History gives scholars and history enthusiasts incomparable access to the documents and information crucial to understanding this vexing chapter in American history.

“This book is the first to capture and provide in one resource all of the documentation relevant to Mary Lincoln’s long-controversial insanity trial and treatment. Jason Emerson distils the full body of evidentiary material into an easily accessible chronology. An essential reference for anyone interested in the subject.”

— Harold Holzer, author of Father Abraham: Lincoln and His Sons

“An impressive array of material, arranged chronologically, stemming from the insanity trial, including private correspondence, progress reports from Lincoln’s attending physician at the Bellevue Place Sanitarium, newspaper articles, diaries, and interviews. This is an essential resource for anyone interested in the Lincoln family.”

— Register of the Kentucky Historical Society