William Augustus Brevoort Coolidge

Background

Coolidge was born in New York as the son of Frederic William Skinner Coolidge, a Boston merchant, and Elisabeth Neville Brevoort, sister of James Carson Brevoort and Meta Brevoort.

Education

He studied history and law at Saint Paul"s School in Concord, New Hampshire, at Elizabeth College, Guernsey, and at Exeter College, Oxford.

Career

In 1875 he became a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford. Coolidge was one of the great figures of the so-called silver age of alpinism, making first ascents of the few significant peaks in the Alps that had not been climbed during the golden age of alpinism. In 1885 he moved to Grindelwald, Switzerland, where he died in 1926.

Piz Badile, 27 July 1867, with François Devouassoud and Henri Devouassoud

Ailefroide, 7 July 1870, with Christian Almer and Ulrich Almer

Central peak of Louisiana Meije, 1870, with Meta Brevoort and three guides

Unterbächhorn, 1872

First winter ascent of the Jungfrau, January 1874, with Christian and Ulrich Almer

West summit of Les Droites, 16 July 1876, with Christian and Ulrich Almer

Pic Coolidge, July 1877 with Christian and Ulrich Almer

Les Bans, 14 July 1878, with Christian and Ulrich Almer

Southern Peak of the Aiguilles d"Arves, 22 July 1878, with Christian and Ulrich Almer

Monte Matto, 14 July 1879, with Christian and Ulrich Almer

Aiguille de Chambeyron, 1879, with Christian Almer.

Scherbadung, 1886

Chüebodenhorn, 1892.

Works

• book

  • Guide illustre' de Grindelwald.

Membership

In 1870 at the age of twenty he was made a member of the Alpine Club.