Elizabeth Packard Declared Insane By Her Husband and Finally Created “Packard’s Law” -

In 1875, Mary Todd Lincoln, the widow of Abraham Lincoln, became one of the most famous people to face a jury trial under the laws Elizabeth Packard had helped inspire “Packard’s Law”— after her own son, Robert, petitioned to have Mary declared insane.

By then, Packard’s relentless advocacy had left a national mark: she was credited with influencing 34 legislative reforms across multiple states and pushing through federal measures as well, including an 1875 law granting asylum patients the right to send and receive mail — a crucial step toward giving the institutionalized a voice.

Here is Elizabeth Packard's Story:

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