Robert Edward Coontz was born in Hannibal, Missouri, on 11 June 1864. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1885 and served at the Navy Department and in several ships over the next decade, among them vessels stationed in Alaskan waters and the Great Lakes. He returned to the Navy Department late in 1894 to work on updating officer records, then was assigned to the cruiser Philadelphia, the Coast Survey and the cruiser Charleston. His time in the latter included Spanish-American War service in the Pacific. Following further duty afloat and ashore, Coontz, then a Lieutenant Commander, was Executive Officer of the battleship Nebraska during the 1907-1909 world cruise of the "Great White Fleet".
After promotion to Commander in 1909, Robert E. Coontz was Commandant of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. In 1912-14, he was Governor of Guam. Captain Coontz then served as Commanding Officer of the battleship Georgia, followed by duty as Commandant of the Puget Sound Navy Yard and the 13th Naval District. He held those positions until late in 1918, enhancing a reputation as an effective administrator. Following a brief period as acting Chief of Naval Operations, Rear Admiral Coontz assumed command of a battleship division in the Atlantic.
Coontz had just been assigned to the Pacific Fleet in September 1919 when he was selected to become Chief of Naval Operations, succeeding Admiral William S. Benson. His term as CNO was marked by unceasing pressure for economy, Congressional 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 scandal. While dealing successfully with these problems, Admiral Coontz was also able to establish a unified United States Fleet and strengthen the CNO's position within the Navy Department.
Relieved as CNO in mid-1923 by Admiral Edward W. Eberle, Coontz was able to return to sea as Commander in Chief of the U.S. Fleet. In 1925, he led the fleet on a trans-Pacific visit to New Zealand and Australia, 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. From October 1925 until his retirement in June 1928, Coontz served as Commandant of the Fifth Naval District, reverting to the rank of Rear Admiral. He remained active after retirement until suffering a series of heart attacks in 1934. Admiral Robert E. Coontz died on 26 January 1935.
USS Coontz (DLG-9, later DDG-40) and USS Admiral R.E. Coontz (AP-122) were named in honor of Admiral Coontz.
This page features selected views of Admiral Robert E. Coontz.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the "Online Library's" digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
Photo #: NH 51700 Commander Robert E. Coontz, USN Photographed in December 1910, while he was Commandant of Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. Donation of Commander Marion Brewington, USNR. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 69KB; 565 x 765 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 85576-KN (Color) Admiral Robert E. Coontz, USN (1864-1935) Chief of Naval Operations, 1919-1923 Portrait by Joseph Earl Schrack, 1961. Courtesy of the Navy Art Collection, Washington, DC. Donation of Mrs. Bertha Coontz Kokko. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 84KB; 570 x 765 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 364 Admiral Robert E. Coontz, USN, Chief of Naval Operations Portrait photograph, taken circa 1919. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 77KB; 500 x 765 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 51698 Admiral Robert E. Coontz, USN, Chief of Naval Operations At his desk, 1919. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 63KB; 585 x 765 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 51699 Admiral Robert E. Coontz, USN, Chief of Naval Operations Photographed in 1919. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 42KB; 500 x 765 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 42616 USS Pinta (1865-1908) Ship's officers on board, at Sitka, Alaska, 1889. Those identified are: Passed Assistant Surgeon Henry B. Fitts (far left): Lieutenant Albon C. Hodgson (3rd from left); Lieutenant Commander Oscar W. Farenholt, Commanding Officer, (center); Ensign Robert E. Coontz (far right). Note very fancy binnacle at left and small Dahlgren howitzer on a pivot-mount at right. Collection of Rear Admiral Ammen C. Farenholt, USN(MC), 1931. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 118KB; 740 x 625 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 53136 Navy Flag Officers at Boston, Massachusetts Photographed standing beside an automobile, probably circa March-May 1919. They are (from left to right): Vice Admiral Robert E. Coontz, Commander, Division 7, Atlantic Fleet; Rear Admiral Thomas Washington, Commander, Division 2, Atlantic Fleet; Rear Admiral Hugo Osterhaus, assigned to the Navy Department; and Rear Admiral Edward W. Eberle, Commander, Division 5, Atlantic Fleet. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 117KB; 700 x 650 pixels |
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Photo #: 80-G-1024939 Admiral Henry B. Wilson, USN, Admiral Robert E. Coontz, USN, Admiral Hugh Rodman, USN, (listed from left to right) Photographed at the Navy Department, Washington, D.C., in 1919. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 96KB; 740 x 615 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: NH 50445 Senior Navy Department Officials and Officers Standing in front the Navy Department's Main Navy Building, Washington, D.C., 27 December 1920, prior to a visit to Mrs. George Dewey. Standing in front center are (left to right): Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels; Assistant Secretary Gordon Woodbury; and Admiral Robert E. Coontz, Chief of Naval Operations. The others are identified in Photo # NH 50445 (complete caption). U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 102KB; 740 x 600 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 50096 Flag Officers at Naval Air Station, North Island, California Standing in front the Air Station's officers' quarters, 14 March 1925. Among those in the front row are: Admiral Samuel S. Robison, Commander in Chief, Battle Fleet (2nd from left); Admiral Robert E. Coontz, Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (3rd from left); and Vice Admiral Josiah S. McKean, Commander in Chief, Scouting Fleet (4th from left). The others are identified in Photo # NH 50096 (complete caption). U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 129KB; 740 x 610 pixels |
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If you want higher resolution reproductions than the "Online Library's" digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 13 May 2000
Link added 6 October 2001