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 member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania.

[citation needed] He was the military air attaché for the United States Embassy in Santiago, Chile, from October 1945 to April 1948.

He was elected as a Democrat to the 81st Congress 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 near Albuquerque, New Mexico.

On April 20, 1949, Coffey was killed in the crash of Lockheed F-80A-10-LO Shooting Star, 44-85438,[1] c/n 080-1461,[2] while on take-off from Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, at 1640 hrs.

He and fellow Hell Hawks 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.