Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882). Mary Todd Lincoln is shown here in a daguerreotype taken in Springfield, four years after she married Abraham Lincoln.

4. Mary Todd Lincoln was committed to a mental institution after Lincoln’s death.
True
False

TRUE. Unquestionably, Mary Todd Lincoln had an eccentric personality. She was very outgoing and talkative, and craved attention and affection. She was also very high-strung, with an explosive temper, and was prone to outbursts. According to one story, she hit Lincoln over the head with a piece of firewood when he let the fire go out! She was also irresponsible with money, forging invoices at the White House, and going on wild shopping sprees.

After the death of their son Willie Lincoln, Mary went into a period of mourning so extensive that her husband threatened to send her to an insane asylum. It wasn’t until many years after Lincoln’s death, however, that their son Robert Todd Lincoln had his mother declared legally insane. She was committed in May of 1875, and spent four months at the Bellevue Sanitarium in Batavia, IL.
Mary’s behavior throughout her life was certainly erratic, but it is debatable whether she would have been declared “insane” by 21st century standards.