Robert William Lockhart was born in Montpelier, Ohio in 1929. He attended school for two years at Dennison University, then two at the University of Michigan and was drafted into service in the Army in 1951. Lockhart trained at several camps from 1951 to 1952, spending most of his time at Fort Riley, Kansas, where he graduated basic training in heavy weapons infantry. After basic training, Lockhart attended cryptography school for the Army Security Agency in Georgia before being shipped to Germany in 1952. He lived in Germany until 1953, when he returned home to Ohio. After his service, Lockhart returned to the University of Michigan for two more years, finishing his architecture degree. In 1956, Lockhart moved to Wisconsin, living in Fond du Lac, then moving to Madison. In his later life, Lockhart came out publicly as a gay man. In a 2013 article, Lockhart discusses his realization that he was a homosexual because of a letter sent to him by a fellow soldier.
