[1] In January 1941, he was drafted into the United States Army, he served about 8 months and was then discharged in September 1941, when men over age 28 were exempted.
He returned, briefly, to his job as assistant secretary of state, but after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, he was called back to service in the Army.
He spent his entire service at various bases in the continental United States, he was discharged due to disability in September 1943.
In the November 1954 election, Robert was largely responsible for campaigning on behalf of his father, who was in poor health for most of the last years of his life after suffering a stroke.
[5] Governor Walter J. Kohler, Jr., appointed statistician Glenn M. Wise to fill the 1955–1956 term as secretary of state.
Robert's younger brother, Frederick, also served in the Army during World War II.