community leader, industrialist and civil war
veteran Major James Lide Coker (1837-1918) led the initiative to
open a privAte academy, Welsh Neck High School,
In 1894 in hartsville.
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In 1908, after the state established a public school system, Major Coker provided the leadership and financial support to convert the academy into a college for women - a very progressive concept at a time when women did not yet have the right to vote. The academy's trustees voted to name the new institution in honor its chief benefactor, the Major. Coker College for Women opened its doors in September 1908.
- From the 1920s until after World War II, Coker was the only college between Columbia and Charleston accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
- Coker College was originally affiliated with the Southern Carolina Baptist Convention before becoming an independent college with no religious affiliation in 1944.
- Coker officially became co-educational in 1969, although men began taking classes at the College after World War II.
- Throughout its history Coker has provided a liberal arts education of the finest quality, attuned to the needs of its students. The living and learning environment at Coker fosters participation in the community of scholarship and the development of ethical character, leadership skills and social responsibility.