Robert Lewis Coffey Jr. (October 21, 1918 – April 20, 1949) was an American coal miner, World War II veteran, and politician who served briefly as a

Democratic Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. A former military fighter pilot, Coffey was killed after only four months in Congress when a military aircraft he was co-piloting crashed in an experimental flight.

Early life and career

Robert Coffey was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and moved with his parents in early boyhood to Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Pittsburgh and

Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvan ...

. He was employed in coal mines in all positions from coal loader to engineer.

World War II and military career

During World War II, he served in the United States Army Air Forces. He flew as a member of the

365th Fighter Group 365th may refer to: *365th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit *365th Electronic Warfare Group previously 1st Search Attack Group, United States Army Air Forces unit that served during World War II. 365 EWG was a 'paper' des ...

, called the "Hell Hawks," piloting the P-47 Thunderbolt. He commanded the group's

388th Fighter Squadron The 132nd Wing, sometimes written 132d Wing, (132 WG) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Iowa Air National Guard and located at Des Moines Air National Guard Base, Iowa. The 132nd's World War II predecessor unit, the ''365th Fight ...

and was later deputy commander of the group. He was the group's top air ace with credit for six aerial victories during 97 missions. He was shot down and evaded capture. He was the military air attaché for the United States Embassy in

Santiago, Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated Regions of Chile, region, t ...

, from October 1945 to April 1948. He resigned his commission as a

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

to pursue a political candidacy. He was commissioned a colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve. During his military service, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Presidential Citation, and Belgian and French Croix de Guerre.

Congress

He was elected as a Democrat to the

81st Congress The 81st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 194 ...

in 1948, defeating incumbent Republican Congressman Harve Tibbott, and served from January 3, 1949, until his death in an airplane accident at

Kirtland Air Force Base Kirtland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located in the southeast quadrant of the Albuquerque, New Mexico urban area, adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport. The base was named for the early Army aviator Col. Roy ...

near

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

Personal life

Coffey was married to Eileen Mercado Parra, with whom he had three children: Robert Lewis, Eileen María and David Mario.

Death

On April 20, 1949, Coffey was killed in the crash of Lockheed F-80A-10-LO Shooting Star, ''44-85438'', c/n 080-1461, while on take-off from Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, at 1640 hrs. during a cross-country proficiency flight. He and fellow

Hell Hawks The 132nd Wing, sometimes written 132d Wing, (132 WG) is a United States Air Force unit assigned to the Iowa Air National Guard and located at Des Moines Air National Guard Base, Iowa. The 132nd's World War II predecessor unit, the ''365th Fig ...

pilot Lt. Col. William D. Ritchie had departed Kirtland after refuelling for March AFB, California, but due to apparent engine failure on take-off, the fighter never rose above 25 feet, skidded off end of runway, cartwheeled across an arroyo, and broke apart but did not burn. Coffey was killed instantly. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The House of Representatives recessed for one day in his honor.

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