ALFRED OSCAR COFFIN
May 14, 1861 – September 6, 1933
Biologist , Promoter
The first African American to earn a Ph.D. in a field of Biological Science.
Bachelor’s in Fisk University, in Nashville, TN.
Master’s and PhD in Illinois Wesleyan University
Research publications:
The Origin of the Mound Builders
Land Without Chimneys /The Byways of Mexico
Alfred Oscar Coffin was the first African American to earn a Ph.D. in a field of the biological sciences. He was born in Pontotoc, Mississippi on May 14, 1861 to Samuel Coffin and mother was Josephine Marie Drake-Coffin. He excelled in academics and enrolled in Fisk University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree. His Ph.D. in Biology was from the Illinois Wesleyan University in 1889. In 1887, Coffin taught for two years at Alcorn Agricultural & Mechanical College in Mississippi. He was a professor at Wiley University in Marshall, Texas from 1889 to 1895 where was the head of Mathematics and Romance Language.