The Trial of Mary Todd Lincoln

The Trial of Mary Todd Lincoln, first published in 1959, is the dramatic account of the insanity trial Mary Todd Lincoln. In 1875, Robert Todd Lincoln, son of the late President Abraham Lincoln, petitioned a Chicago court to commit his mother to an asylum on charges of insanity. He was increasingly disturbed by what he viewed as his mother’s erratic behavior. The court ruled Mrs. Lincoln insane and committed her to a private mental hospital in Batavia, Illinois. However, through her own efforts, Mrs. Lincoln secured her release from the sanitarium and lived under the care of her sister Elizabeth in Springfield, Illinois. The book paints a sympathetic portrait of Mary Todd Lincoln, and recounts actual witness testimony from the trial.

Hosted by Bill Kurtis, the trial is re-enacted with a modern-day judge, practicing attorneys, and mental health experts who use facts based on actual witness statements from the 1875 trial. They apply current Illinois law regarding mental health proceedings and current health treatment to the dramatic and heartbreaking story of the nation’s 16th first lady.