Dorothea L. Dix

Dorothea L. Dix (1802-1887) was a social activist who promoted mental healthcare and prison reforms during the mid-nineteenth century. Her efforts in Alabama, with the support of governor Henry Collier, resulted in the founding of the Alabama Insane Hospital (now Bryce State Mental Hospital) in Tuscaloosa.

Portrait of mental health reformer Dorothea Dix
Courtesy of the Library of Congress
Portrait of mental health reformer Dorothea Dix