Lillie Hitchcock Coit

Elizabeth Hitchcock Coit (August 23, 1843 – July 22, 1929) was a patron of San Francisco's volunteer firefighters and the benefactor for the construction of the Coit Tower in San Francisco, California.

Life

Born in West Point, New York, in 1843, she moved to California from West Point with her parents—Charles, an Army doctor, and Martha Hitchcock.

Her father was successful and when he died he left a substantial inheritance. As a young woman, she traveled to Europe with her mother. After her return, she married Howard Coit, the "caller" of the San Francisco Stock Exchange during an economic boom. She was buried at Cypress Lawn Memorial Park in Colma.

Firefighting Coit was fascinated by firefighters from a young age. At age 15, in 1858, she reportedly witnessed the Knickerbocker Engine Co. No. 5 respond to a fire call on Telegraph Hill when they were shorthanded, and helped them get up the hill ahead of other competing engine companies. Sources differ on whether this happened while she was coming home from school or coming from a rehearsal for a wedding. When volunteer firefighters were ill, she visited the sickbed, and when they died, Coit sent flowers and attended the funerals.

Legacy

Coit's nickname "Firebelle Lil" inspired the name of the Women's Pro Baseball League team the San Francisco Firebells.