True Life Tuesday: Ann Cooper Hewitt

This is another crazy story. It is a sad reminder of how society used to treat those with mental illness and also how people used the accusation of mental illness to control people.

Ann Cooper Hewitt was born in Paris in 1914. Her parents were Peter Cooper Hewitt and Maryon Andrews Brugiere. She was the result of an extramarital affair. Peter and Maryon did eventually marry in 1918 after Peter divorced his first wife. Her father was a successful inventor and was proved $1 million dollars for his invention of the mercury-vapor lamp. Her father was a rich man prior to this however. His grandfather invented the first steam engine in the United States. 

Ann was very close with her father and said later in life that her only happy childhood memories were with him. On the other hand her mother was very abusive and neglectful. Ann was not allowed to leave the house or have any friends. In 1921 when Ann was 7 years old her father passed away. When he dies his estate was worth $4 million dollars which is about $61 million dollars today. His will stated that 1/3 of the estate went to Maryon and 2/3 went to Ann. However, there was also a stipulation that if Ann passed away without an heir Maryon would inherit everything. 

In 1934 Ann and Maryon were having lunch when Ann started experiencing severe stomach pain. Her mother took her to the hospital where a doctor diagnosed her with appendicitis without performing a physical exam. Her appendix was removed 4 days later and she spent several weeks in the hospital recovering. While she was there she heard the staff refer to her as the "imbecile patient" and that "she didn't suspect a thing." Eventually Ann learned that in addition to removing her appendix the doctors sterilized her by removing her Fallopian tubes. At this time you were not considered an adult until you were 21. Ann was only 20 when the surgery took place so her mother was still in charge of her treatment. She bribed a psychologist to find Ann as feeble-minded and the doctors to perform the procedure.

In 1936 Ann announced to the media what her mother and the doctors did and that she was suing her mother for $500,000. Maryon and the doctors were charged with mayhem - the act of unlawfully removing a part of a body resulting in disfigurement or uselessness. During the trial Ann testified to the physical and emotional abuse she received from her mother. 

Eventually the case was settled for $150,000. Maryon passed away from a stroke three years after the case was settled. Ann moved on with her life and was married a total of 5 times. She passed away from cancer in 1944 at the age of 40.