born April 4, 1802, Hampden, District of Maine, Mass., U.S.
died July 17, 1887, Trenton, N.J.
U.S. social reformer on behalf of the mentally ill.
She opened a school for girls in Boston in 1821, and in 1841 she began teaching Sunday school in a jail, where she was distressed to see the mentally ill imprisoned with criminals. For 18 months she toured mental institutions, and in 1843 she reported their deplorable conditions to the Massachusetts legislature. After improvements were made, she expanded her campaign to other states. Through her work, special mental hospitals were built in 15 states and in Canada.