When a youth fifteen years of age, Doctor Coffey visited an uncle who was living near Delphos, Ottawa county, Kansas. His ambitious asserted themselves early in life, and although his advantages had not been very auspicious he was resolute and worked his way through the High school, beginning with 1883. He taught school alternately for five years as a means to gain an end; in the meantime took a one year's course in the Campbell University of Holton, Kansas. He then came to Concordia, entered the office of Doctor J.H. McCasey and began reading medicine. The office of Doctor McCasey is where our subject is now and where he has continued since he went in as a student. Doctor Coffey is another of the hundreds of self-made western men. His surplus of cash when he finished his college course was eighteen dollars and seventy-five cents. He graduated from the Kansas City Medical College in 1893. He became associated with Doctor McCasey, but two months later the latter was appointed superintendent for the insane asylum at Topeka, and Doctor Coffey continued alone. He is a general practitioner and devotes considerable time to diseases of the eye and fitting of glasses, having taken a special course in optics while in college.

Doctor Coffey was born in Greenburg, Decatur county, Indiana, in 1866. He is the only member of the family absent from the home circle. His father, Granville Coffey, is a wealthy farmer and stockman; also owns a tile factory and a brickyard and is noted as a man of affairs. His residence is situated twenty miles from the center of population of the United States, according to the census of 1900. Doctor Coffey is one of four children, two sons and two daughters. Doctor Coffey has been successful as a practitioner and is an esteemed citizen. He was married in 1893 to Miss Zoa Wheeler, the only daughter of Mayor and Mrs. S.C. Wheeler. They are the parents of one little daughter, Louise, aged seven. Politically he is a Populist, has served as coroner two terms and is secretary of the Cloud County Medical Society.