Early Life
Robert Coontz, son of Mr. & Mrs. Benton Coontz, was born in Hannibal, Missouri. His parents were originally from Florida, Missouri where they had been neighbors and schoolmates of a young Sam Clemens. Roberts father was involved in several businesses, including owning Hannibal's streetcar system. While a young boy, Robert Coontz left his name for posterity by carving it into the rock of Mark Twain Cave, then known as McDowell's Cave. After completing his primary education in Hannibal public schools, Coontz attended Inglesile College from 1878 to 1879 and Hannibal College (now Hannibal-LaGrange University) from 1879 to 1880. Coontz asked family friend Congressman William H. Hatch for an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. However several other young men from the congressional district also desired the appointment so a competitive exam was arranged, which Coontz won.
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