Dorothy Constance Stratton was born in Brookfield, Missouri back in 1899 to Richard and Anna. The family traveled across the Midwest ending back up in Lamar, Missouri. She graduated from Ottawa University in 1920 with a master of arts in psychology. She received her doctorate from the University of Chicago. For a short time, she taught school in Brookfield, Missouri.
In 1942, she took a leave of absence to join the U.S. Coast Guard where she was sent to the office of the Commandant of the Coast Guard in Washington, D.C.
She rose through the ranks to captain in 1944, she retired from active duty in 1946. What you may not know about Dorothy was she held many firsts, so let’s go over a few. She was the first woman to be commissioned an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard, the first woman to be hired as a full time Dean of Women at Purdue and the first director of personnel at the International Monetary Fund.
In her spare time, she was executive director of the Girl Scouts of the USA (1950-1960). The Coast Guards National Security Cutter the USCGC Stratton was the first Cutter to be named after a woman. She died in 2006 at a young 107. Until tomorrow smile, it makes people wonder what you’re up to
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