Alice Coffin

Alice Kendall Coffin (née Howell; born March 16, 1934) is an American socialite and philanthropist. She is the wife of millionaire businessman Edwin Coffin (born November 5, 1930), scion of the prominent Coffin family of Madbury, New Hampshire. In 1957, she co-founded the Coffin Charitable Trust with her husband, and currently serves as its Executive Director.

Known as “Lissy” to friends and family, she is the daughter of prominent New York attorney, Thornton G. Howell, (1904-1954), and Sinclair Howell (1905-1944). Prior to his death, her father was a principal at the prestigious New York City law firm of Howell & Baye, founded in 1868 by his grandfather, John “Black Jack” Howell.

She resides with her husband and their two sons at the Coffinhurst Estate in Madbury. They also own vacation homes in Aspen, Colorado and Kennebunkport, Maine. She is an accomplished pianist, and an avid skier. She also enjoys tennis, golf, and sailing. Raised Episcopalian, she converted to Catholicism in 1955.

Life and Career

Alice Kendall Howell was born on March 16, 1934, in Darien, Connecticut. She is the youngest of three children, and the only daughter of Thornton G. Howell, and his wife, Sinclair (Kendall) Howell. Growing up with two older brothers, Alice became something of a “tomboy,” especially after the death of her mother in 1944 in a car wreck. Her father was grief-stricken over the loss of his wife, and slowly spiraled into alcoholism. Alice took on an increasingly significant role in caring for her father and older brothers.

She attended Greenwich Academy in Greenwich, Conn., the oldest all girls’ school in America, commuting by train with her father from the first grade through high school, and graduating in 1952. As time went on, instead of meeting her father at the entrance of the school for their ride home, she would walk alone to the station, and find him sleeping in the club car. She went on to attend Radcliffe College, where she interned for two summers as a marketing copywriter with the Boston office of McCann Erickson. Upon the death of her father in 1954, she inherited her family’s summer home and moved to Kennebunkport. She graduated cum laude from Radcliffe in 1956 with a degree in Social Relations.

She met her future husband, Edwin James Coffin, in December 1952, while on a Christmastime ski vacation in the French Alps. Known to friends as “Ned,” he is the son of millionaire financier Barnaby J. Coffin (1902-1953) and Evelyn (Blood) Coffin (born August 25, 1910). After hitting it off immediately, the two quickly became practically inseparable, and were married on June 30, 1956, two weeks after her graduation from Radcliffe. Their first son, Barnaby James Coffin II, whom they call "Skip," was born September 20, 1957. His younger brother, Edwin James Coffin Jr., nicknamed "Chip," was born March 13, 1959.

After the birth of their first child, Alice was instrumental in the establishment of the Coffin Charitable Trust, which she has led as Executive Director since its founding.

Description

Alice Coffin is a slender young woman of rare beauty, standing 5’5½” tall and weighing 116 pounds. She has long, wavy, natural blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, and delicate facial features, with a fair, slightly sun-kissed complexion. She speaks in a sophisticated Transatlantic accent, with a warm, diaphanous voice.

She is outdoorsy and very athletic, and an excellent skier. She also enjoys tennis, sailing and golf. She is extremely competitive, and not affraid to challenge her husband in athletic competition and other areas, while at the same time remianing completely supportive of his goals and ambitions.

Alice exudes understated feminine elegance with her regal posture and effortless grace. She is always impeccably groomed and well put together. Her style preferences lean toward classic simplicity; her favorite casual attire is a wool skirt and cardigan. But she is also quite comfortable in white gloves and pearls. She sometimes wears glasses due to nearsightedness.

Personality

Alice Coffin's most striking personality trait is her self-possession; she is always in control and always prepared. While at all times extremely supportive of her husband, she is her own person. She is captivating, genuine, and intelligent. She is well mannered, kind, and delightful to be around, although she can exhibit moodiness on occasion. She is caring and generous – a people pleaser. In personal matters, she is emotionally romantic, passionate and very demonstrative. She can be possessive at times.