Bernard Coyne

Who was Bernard Coyne?

Bernard A. Coyne is one of only 17 individuals in medical history to have stood 8 feet tall or more. Coyne may have reached a height of 8 feet 4 inches tall at the time of his death in 1921. His World War I draft registration card, dated 29 August 1918, lists his height as 8 feet. The Guinness Book of World Records stated that he was refused induction into the Army when he stood at a height of 7 feet 9 inches.

Coyne was the tallest ever eunuchoidal infantile giant, a condition also known as Daddy Long-Legs Syndrome. He was the tallest person in the world at the time of his death when, like Robert Wadlow, he was still growing. He reportedly wore size 25 shoes.

Bernard Coyne died of hardening of the liver and of a glandular disorder in 1921. He is buried in Anthon, Iowa, in a specially-made, extra-large coffin.