George Coffin

Coffin was a successful businessman and political activist. He served as president of the Marion County Republican Party.

He kept a journal from 1857 to 1868 that provides an insight into Coffin’s childhood, education, and professional career.

Early Life and Education

George Coffin was born on March 30, 1850 in Pottstown, Pennsylvania as the oldest child in his family and raised on a farm. At eight years old he started keeping a diary which remained active until 1868.

He went on to graduate from Columbian College (now George Washington University), where he majored in law. Additionally, he served as a Federal Treasury Department official.

In addition to his legal studies, Coffin was an active abolitionist. He helped fleeing slaves by providing them with food and hiding them on his family’s farm, despite local opposition. Despite these setbacks, he remained dedicated to his cause.

Professional Career

George Coffin was a legal professional employed at the Department of the Treasury for over four decades.

He also achieved fame as an artist, drawing political cartoons for numerous publications in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A liberal at heart, his causes included women’s rights, civil service reform, immigration reform, workers’ rights protection and anti-monopoly legislation.

Coffin’s journal is an intimate record of a young man in pre-bellum Boston as he embarked on his professional life, making the transition from clerk to businessman and from single life to marriage. It offers us an intriguing glimpse into Coffin’s social activities, church attendance, lectures, and frequent trips back and forth to Newburyport for family matters and business dealings.

Achievements and Honors

Coffin was renowned for aiding abolitionists and freedom seekers in their escapes from slavery in the United States, earning him the title of “President of the Underground Railroad”.

In 1826, Coffin relocated his family from North Carolina to Newport (now Fountain City) in Indiana as it was a free state. There he promoted the use of free labor and sold goods made by people who weren’t enslaved.

He served in the Civil War and then helped raise money in Europe to assist black Americans establish businesses and farms after their emancipation. Coffin also wrote an autobiography to document his life’s work.

Personal Life

George Coffin was a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend who never wavered in his devotion. His strong faith saw him through many trials in life – including those that came his way.

He was an incredibly kind and generous man, always willing to go the extra mile for others. He and Esther enjoyed traveling, ballroom dancing and gardening together.

After graduating from Columbian College (now George Washington University), he took a job with the Revenue Marine division of the Federal Treasury Department, where he spent most of his life. This position provided him with an income and allowed him to pursue his passion for art full time.

Net Worth

George Coffin, the renowned businessman and former owner of Coffin Vault, has an estimated net worth between $1M-$5M. He resides in Los Angeles, USA.

He is a director of Myers Industries Inc (MYE) and has not engaged in any insider trading during the past three months or 18 months.

On December 31st, 2020 the ESOP paid $5 million cash to Coffin as a private transaction that will not be included on his income tax return. He will receive 10 equal payments from the ESOP over five years.