Mary Lincoln’s Insanity Case: A Documentary History by Jason Emerson (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 88 OHIO VALLEY HISTORY Mary Lincoln’s Insanity Case A Documentary History Jason Emerson In 1875, Mary Lincoln’s only surviving son Robert had her tried for insanity and placed in an asylum. Soon afterwards, Mary began a campaign to free herself, insisting that she was the sane victim of a heartless son who had her institutionalized for selfish motives. Thus began the controversy surrounding Mary’s insanity case. The various publications on the subject generally fall into one of two categories: those that accept Robert’s side of the story, and those that accept Mary’s side of the story. Robert’s defenders argue that Mary was, indeed, insane and that Robert had her institutionalized in order to safeguard her own wellbeing. Mary’s defenders portray Robert as a conniving villain who schemed to put his mother behind bars so that he could assume control of her finances and climb the political ladder without the scandalous figure of his mother blocking his ascent. These two polarized views of Mary’s insanity case have hitherto made it difficult for readers to come to any firm conclusions on the matter. However, Jason Emerson provides readers with the tools to make a more informed, unbiased opinion with his new publication Mary Lincoln’s Insanity Case. Emerson has traveled to archives around the country collecting primary sources relating to Mary’s insanity case. This book is the culmination of his efforts—a compilation of letters, newspaper articles, editorials, interviews, diary entries, legal documents, and patient progress reports from the asylum that treated Mary. Some of these documents have been published previously. Nevertheless, it helps to have all of these sources gathered in one publication. Emerson arranges the documents chronologically, starting in April 1865—most scholars identify Abraham Lincoln’s assassination as the trigger for his wife’s insanity— and ending in 1959 with the personal reminiscence of a family member. Emerson’s avowed purpose in publishing these materials is to allow readers to reach their own conclusions about Mary’s insanity based on all available evidence. In order to let readers judge for themselves, Emerson vows not to take sides in the debate over Mary’s insanity. The book consists mostly of a compilation of primary sources, but Emerson still manages to proffer his own opinion along with the evidence. He explains that nearly the Jason Emerson. Mary Lincoln’s Insanity Case: A Documentary History. Champaign: University of Illinois Press, 2012. 264 pp. ISBN: 9780252037078 (cloth), $35.00. BOOK REVIEWS FALL 2013 89 entire country agreed that Mary was insane, but that only her son knew the true extent to her derangement. He blames the modern misunderstanding of her case on “the use of a revisionist (specifically feminist) historical philosophy ” by Mary’s modern biographers Jean Baker and Catherine Clinton, who he suggests either have not examined the primary sources or have only studied them with the intent of advancing their own agendas. Emerson claims both these biographers portray Mary as a sane woman persecuted by the patriarchy. While this characterization correctly describes Baker’s stance on the issue, it does not accurately assess Clinton’s position. Clinton is one of the few writers to address Mary’s sanity who does not take a firm stance in the debate. While she argues that Mary did not have a fair chance to defend herself at the 1875 trial and suggests that Robert’s political ambitions could have influenced his decision to have his mother committed, Clinton also repeatedly implies that the sorrows Mary experienced caused her to become unhinged. She even goes so far as to describe Mary as in “full-blown delusional mode” when Robert had her committed. Emerson’s accusations against Clinton seem unfair. Emerson’s own biases influence both his introduction and the explanatory notes scattered throughout the book. For example, Emerson claims Robert consulted seven medical “experts” about his mother’s sanity, but this implies that all these doctors possessed expertise in mental health when they did not. Furthermore, Emerson neglects to mention that the doctors declared Mary insane without examining her but based on Robert’s description of her behavior . Emerson also fails to mention that Robert...