William Stokes

Artist: Louis P. Dieterich, Oil on Canvas

William H. Stokes was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland on January 21, 1812. He received his A.B. from Yale College in 1831 and his M.A. from Yale in 1845. He became a pupil of Drs. William Donaldson and Richard S. Steuart and received his M.D. from the University of Maryland in 1834.

He became a Resident Physician at the Maryland Hospital for the Insane, 1834-35; practiced in Mobile, Alabama from 1835-40; and was a Surgeon, Marine Hospital, Mobile, 1837-40. After visiting Europe, 1841-42 he settled in Baltimore.

Beginning in 1843, Dr. Stokes became the supervisor of Mount Hope Retreat, an insane asylum located just north of Baltimore City on 300+ acres in a rural setting. He held that position for more than 40 years. Mount Hope was an atypical mental hospital – it was open and bright.

There was an infamous trial against Dr. Stokes and the Sisters of Charity who ran Mount Hope, alleging “false and injurious representations as to the management of an Insane Asylum” and assault and false imprisonment of several residents. 

The lengthy trial came to an abrupt end when the State said that it was “…unable to sustain the indictment under the ruling of the Court upon the evidence offered. From beginning to end as utter shame and disgrace… Dr. William H. Stokes, whom it has been sought to brand as an infamous liar and conspirator, is a gentleman of the highest personal and professional character proverbially honorable charitable and humane whose whole laborious and blameless life has been dedicated to the pursuit of science and especially to that most noble and engrossing department of his profession the treatment of diseases of the mind.”

Dr. Stokes died in Baltimore, May 7, 1893.