Irene Williams Coit

Early life

Irene Williams Coit was born in Norwich, Connecticut, United States, on September 24, 1872. She was the only daughter of General James Bolles Coit (1836-1894), a distinguished soldier in the Civil War. During the administration of President Cleveland he was chief of a pension bureau in Washington. Her mother, Anne Willoughby (1849-1914), was the daughter of A. P. Willoughby, representing one of the oldest families in Norwich.

She took the full classical course in the Norwich free academy and was graduated in June 1891, with highest honors. Her determination to try the Yale examinations with the male classical students of her class, was born solely of her generous ambition. Her instructor, Dr. Robert P. Keep, arranged to have Prof. Seymour, of Yale, give Coil an examination with his class. She was accepted on July 8, 1891 and The New York Times wrote: "She is the only young woman who has taken the examinations at Yale University and been notified by the Faculty that, except for reasons of sex, she is in every way fitted for the institution." A year after she took the exam, two more women passed it.