Gretchen Hoyt Corbett was born August 13, 1945. Corbett's year of birth is variously given as 1947 and 1945. in Portland, Oregon to Henry Ladd Corbett, Jr. and Katherine Minahen (née Coney) "Kay" Corbett. She is a great-great-granddaughter of Oregon pioneer, businessman, and Senator Henry Winslow Corbett,The Oregonian, Friday, February 2, 2001 (Katherine C. Corbett obituary). and granddaughter of Henry Ladd Corbett, a Portland civic leader, businessman, and politician. The community of Corbett, Oregon is named for her great-great-grandfather. Through her paternal ancestry, she is of English descent, with ancestors originating from Essex, Norfolk, and Suffolk. Corbett has two brothers and one sister.
