Robert Edward Coontz (June 11, 1864January 26, 1935) was an American naval officer who sailed with the "

Great White Fleet The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the group of United States Navy battleships that completed a journey around the globe from 16 December 1907, to 22 February 1909, by order of President Foreign policy of the Theodore Roosevelt ...

" and served as the second

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an Admiral (United States), admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the United States Secretary ...

from 1919 to 1923.

Early life and education

Robert Edward Coontz, son of Benton Coontz, was born in

Hannibal, Missouri Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion County, Missouri, Marion and Ralls County, Missouri, Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,108, ...

. His parents were originally from

Florida, Missouri Florida is a village in Monroe County, Missouri, United States. It is located at the intersection of Missouri Route 107 and State Route U on the shores of Mark Twain Lake. In 1910 the population was 200, per the census data in the 1911 Cram's ...

, where they had been neighbors and schoolmates of a young Sam Clemens. Robert's father was involved in several businesses, including owning Hannibal's streetcar system. While a young boy, Robert left his name for posterity by carving it into the rock of

Mark Twain Cave Mark Twain Cave — originally McDowell's Cave — is a show cave located near Hannibal, Missouri. It was named for author Mark Twain whose real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Clemens lived in Hannibal from 1839 to 1853, age 4 to 17. It is ...

, then known as McDowell's Cave. After completing his primary education in Hannibal public schools, Coontz attended Ingleside College in

Palmyra, Missouri Palmyra is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Missouri, Marion County, Missouri, United States. The population was 3,613 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Hannibal, Missouri, Hannibal Hannibal micropolit ...

, from 1878 to 1879, and Hannibal College (present day Hannibal-LaGrange University) from 1879 to 1880.''Dictionary of Missouri Biography'', Lawrence O. Christensen, University of Missouri Press, 1999, Pg. 207–208 Coontz asked family friend Congressman William H. Hatch for an appointment to the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

. Several other young men from the congressional district also desired the appointment, so a competitive exam was arranged, which Coontz won.

Career

Coontz graduated from the Naval Academy in 1885, and served at the Navy Department and in several ships over the next decade, among them vessels stationed in

Alaskan Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the norther ...

waters and the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

. He returned to the Navy Department late in 1894, to work on updating officer records, then was assigned to the

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

, the

United States Coast and Geodetic Survey The United States Coast and Geodetic Survey ( USC&GS; known as the Survey of the Coast from 1807 to 1836, and as the United States Coast Survey from 1836 until 1878) was the first scientific agency of the Federal government of the United State ...

, and the cruiser . During the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

''Charleston'' and he seized control of

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

, then joined Admiral

George Dewey George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, wi ...

's forces in the Philippines. He would remain in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

, seeing action in the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

. Following further duty afloat and ashore, Coontz, then a lieutenant commander, was executive officer of the

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

during the 1907–1909 world cruise of the "

". In 1899, Coontz became a Veteran Companion of the Pennsylvania Society of the

Military Order of Foreign Wars The Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States (MOFW) is one of the oldest veterans' and hereditary associations in the nation with a membership that includes officers and their hereditary descendants from all of the Armed Services. Memb ...

. After promotion to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

in 1909, Coontz was Commandant of Midshipmen at the Naval Academy. On January 30, 1912, Coontz became the

Governor of Guam The governor of Guam ( / ) is the head of government of Guam and the commander-in-chief of the Guam National Guard, whose responsibilities also include making the annual State of the Island (formerly the State of the Territory) addresses to t ...

, until September 23, 1913. As

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, Coontz served as Commanding Officer of the battleship , followed by duty as Commandant of the

Puget Sound Navy Yard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted ...

and the 13th Naval District. He held those positions until late in 1918. Following a brief period as acting

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

Coontz assumed command of a battleship division in the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

. Coontz had just been assigned to the Pacific Fleet in September 1919, when he was selected to become Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), succeeding Admiral

William S. Benson William Shepherd Benson (25 September 1855 – 20 May 1932) was an admiral in the United States Navy and the first chief of naval operations (CNO), holding the post throughout World War I. Early life and career William was born on a cotton ...

. Reportedly, his term as CNO was marked by unceasing pressure for economy,

Congressional A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...

unhappiness over base closings, diplomatic efforts to achieve naval limitations, internal Navy Department conflicts over organization and the best ways to manage new technologies, plus the naval fallout of the

Teapot Dome The Teapot Dome scandal was a political corruption scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Warren G. Harding. It centered on Interior Secretary Albert B. Fall, who had leased United States Navy, Navy petroleum re ...

scandal. While dealing with these problems, Admiral Coontz established a unified

United States Fleet The United States Fleet was an organization in the United States Navy from 1922 until after World War II. The acronym CINCUS, pronounced "sink us", was used for the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet. This was replaced by COMINCH in December ...

and strengthened the CNO's position within the Navy Department. Relieved as CNO in August 1923, by Admiral

Edward W. Eberle Edward Walter Eberle (August 17, 1864 – July 6, 1929) was an Admiral (United States), admiral in the United States Navy, who served as List of Superintendents of the United States Naval Academy, Superintendent of the United States Naval Aca ...

, Coontz was able to return to sea as Commander in Chief of the United States Fleet. In June 1925, as Admiral, the Coontz led U.S. fleet, consisting of 57 vessels of United States Navy carrying about 25,000 officers and crew, departed the port of San Francisco, California. He led the fleet on a trans-Pacific visit to New Zealand and Australia, byway of Hawaii and Pago Page, American Samoa. This was the first massed deployment of American battleships since the "Great White Fleet" cruise, nearly two decades earlier, and a valuable demonstration of their strategic reach. The last U.S. fleet departed Australia on August 6, 1925. The fleet played a significant role in strengthening Australia-American relations during the interwar years in the lead up to the signing of the formal ANZAS Alliance in 1941. Coontz is also acknowledged for his key role in the promotion of U.S. naval aviation. He lobbied for converting the and from s to s following the

Washington Naval Treaty The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was signed during 1922 among the major Allies of World War I, Allies of World War I, which agreed to prevent an arms race by limiting Navy, naval construction. It was negotiated at ...

, ships that would prove vital for training in the inter-war years and as fighting ships during World War II. From October 1925, until his retirement in June 1928, he served as Commandant of the Fifth Naval District, reverting to the rank of rear admiral.

Later life

After retiring, Coontz wrote a memoir chronicling his early life growing up in Hannibal, Missouri, and his navy career, titled ''From the Mississippi to the Sea''. Coontz was briefly recalled to active duty in 1930, to investigate railroads in Alaska. A second book, ''True Anecdotes of an Admiral'', was published in 1934. Two years later in 1932, Coontz would represent Alaska at the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

. It was also in 1932, that he became Commander-in-Chief of the

Veterans of Foreign Wars The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States Armed Forces, United States war veterans who fought in wars, Military campaign, campaig ...

. In 1934, Coontz suffered a series of heart attacks. On January 26, 1935, Coontz died at the Puget Sound Naval Hospital in

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, Kitsap County, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The population was 43,505 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and an estimated 44,122 in 2021, making it the largest city ...

. He is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Hannibal, Missouri.

Personal life

On October 31, 1890, in

Sitka, Alaska Sitka (; ) is a municipal home rule, unified Consolidated city-county, city-borough in the southeast portion of the U.S. state of Alaska. It was under Russian America, Russian rule from 1799 to 1867. The city is situated on the west side of Ba ...

, Coontz married Augusta Cohen, daughter of Abraham Cohen. They had three children, Benton, Kenneth, and Bertha.

Selected works

* Robert E. Coontz (1930) ''From the Mississippi to the Sea''. Philadelphia: Dorrance & Co, Inc. See also

Honors

* , a

destroyer leader Destroyer leader (DL) was the United States Navy designation for large destroyers from 9 February 1951 through the early years of the Cold War. United States ships with hull classification symbol DL were officially frigates from 1 January 1955Blac ...

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

and , a were named in his honor. * The Admiral Coontz Armory in Hannibal, Missouri is named in his honor. * Coontz Junior High School in Bremerton, Washington. Destroyed by fire December 15, 1974.

Notes

References

External links

Who's Who in the day's news

(autobiographical memoir by Adm. Coontz, 483pp, 1930) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Coontz, Robert 1864 births 1935 deaths 20th-century American memoirists 20th-century American male writers American Freemasons American Legion American male biographers American military personnel of the Spanish–American War American military writers Chiefs of Naval Operations Commanders of the Legion of Honour Governors of Guam Hannibal–LaGrange University alumni Military personnel from Missouri People from Hannibal, Missouri Recipients of the Navy Distinguished Service Medal United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy World War I admirals United States Navy admirals National commanders of the Veterans of Foreign Wars United States Coast and Geodetic Survey personnel