Dorothy Constance Stratton was born in Brookfield, Missouri, later becoming an educator, Coast Guard officer, and federal official.
Dorothy Constance Stratton was born on March 24, 1899, in Brookfield, Missouri, the daughter of a Baptist minister. Raised in a household that valued education and public service, she would go on to attend Ferry Hall School before earning degrees from Ceres College, the University of Chicago, and Columbia University, eventually completing a Ph.D. in psychology and educational counseling.
Her early academic training in psychology and personnel administration set the foundation for a career that would blend education, military leadership, and public administration. Long before her name became associated with the U.S. Coast Guard, Stratton distinguished herself as a teacher, dean, and psychologist, embodying the aspirations of a generation of American women seeking professional advancement beyond traditional roles.
Her extraordinarily long life—spanning 107 years—allowed her to witness and participate in dramatic changes in the status of women in American public life, from the early 20th century through the dawn of the 21st. She is remembered as a pioneering figure whose life bridged the worlds of academia, wartime military service, international finance, and youth development.
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