Alfred Oscar Coffin (1861-1933), born in Mississippi, was a college professor best known for being the first African American to obtain a Ph.D. in biology, earned in 1889 from Illinois Wesleyan University, where his thesis was titled ‘The Origin of the Mound Builders,’ which connected the origins of the mound builders of the Mississippi Valley to an area in Southeastern Mexico.He taught first at Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College in Mississippi for two years, then from 1889 to 1895 taught mathematics and Romance languages at Wiley University at Marshall, Texas. Back at Alcorn A&M from 1895 to 1898 he worked as the campus disbursement agent. He also spent time as a public school principal in San Antonio and Kansas City, and later in life, starting in 1910, worked as booking agent for the Blind Boone Concert Company, promoting the ragtime pianist and composer.
His book, “Land Without Chimneys: or, The Byways of Mexico,” published in 1896, was the result of his extensive travels in Mexico—particularly Monterey, Mexico City, and Guadalajara. The book is part travelogue, part history of the people of Mexico and, oddly enough, part speculation on a connection between the ancient peoples of the region and the fabled civilization of Atlantis. Coffin’s book marked the first time a black American had published a significant book concerning Latin America.
