Benjamin Victor Cohen
Encyclopedia
Benjamin V. Cohen a member of the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt
and Harry S. Truman
, had a public service career that spanned from the early New Deal
through and beyond the Vietnam War
era.
for Judge Learned Hand
.
He served as counsel for the American Zionist Movement from 1919 - 1921. He acted as Zionist counsel to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference
.
Cohen practiced law in New York 1921 - 1933.
's Brain Trust
. Cohen became a part of the Roosevelt administration in 1933 when Felix Frankfurter
, then a Harvard University Law School professor, brought Cohen, Thomas Corcoran
, and James M. Landis
together to write what became the Truth In Securities Act. Later that year Cohen was assigned to work on railroad legislation.
Much of Cohen's work during the New Deal
was in conjunction with Corcoran. Together they were known as the "Gold Dust Twins
" and appeared on the cover of Time
magazine's September 12, 1938, edition.
he helped write the Lend-Lease
plan.
Cohen also assisted in the drafting of the 1944 Dumbarton Oaks agreements
leading to the establishment of the United Nations
.
In 1945 Cohen served as the United States' chief draftsman at the Potsdam Conference
.
Cohen provided crucial advice and counsel to senators working for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957
.
(Ph.B. 1914; J.D. 1915). Harvard Law School
(S.J.D. 1916)
Cohen was the uncle of Selma Jeanne Cohen
, a prominent dance historian.
Magazine (September 12, 1938)
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
and Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
, had a public service career that spanned from the early New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
through and beyond the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
era.
Early career
Cohen was a law clerkLaw clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
for Judge Learned Hand
Learned Hand
Billings Learned Hand was a United States judge and judicial philosopher. He served on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and later the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit...
.
He served as counsel for the American Zionist Movement from 1919 - 1921. He acted as Zionist counsel to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
.
Cohen practiced law in New York 1921 - 1933.
New Deal
Cohen's first appearance on the national scene was as a member of President Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
's Brain Trust
Brain Trust
Brain trust began as a term for a group of close advisors to a political candidate or incumbent, prized for their expertise in particular fields. The term is most associated with the group of advisors to Franklin Roosevelt during his presidential administration...
. Cohen became a part of the Roosevelt administration in 1933 when Felix Frankfurter
Felix Frankfurter
Felix Frankfurter was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.-Early life:Frankfurter was born into a Jewish family on November 15, 1882, in Vienna, Austria, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in Europe. He was the third of six children of Leopold and Emma Frankfurter...
, then a Harvard University Law School professor, brought Cohen, Thomas Corcoran
Thomas Gardiner Corcoran
Thomas Gardiner Corcoran was one of several Irish American advisors in President Franklin D. Roosevelt's brain trust during the New Deal, and later, a close friend and advisor to President Lyndon B. Johnson....
, and James M. Landis
James M. Landis
James McCauley Landis was an American academic, government official and legal adviser.-Biography:Landis was born in Tokyo, Japan, where his parents were teachers at a missionary school...
together to write what became the Truth In Securities Act. Later that year Cohen was assigned to work on railroad legislation.
Much of Cohen's work during the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
was in conjunction with Corcoran. Together they were known as the "Gold Dust Twins
Gold Dust Twins
The Gold Dust Twins originated as the mascots for Fairbank's Gold Dust Washing Powder products as early as 1892. It has seen popular use as a moniker in several instances since...
" and appeared on the cover of Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine's September 12, 1938, edition.
World War II
In 1941, during the period leading up to the entry of the United States into World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he helped write the Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
plan.
Cohen also assisted in the drafting of the 1944 Dumbarton Oaks agreements
Dumbarton Oaks Conference
The Dumbarton Oaks Conference or, more formally, the Washington Conversations on International Peace and Security Organization was an international conference at which the United Nations was formulated and negotiated among international leaders...
leading to the establishment of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
.
In 1945 Cohen served as the United States' chief draftsman at the Potsdam Conference
Potsdam Conference
The Potsdam Conference was held at Cecilienhof, the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern, in Potsdam, occupied Germany, from 16 July to 2 August 1945. Participants were the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States...
.
Post-War
In 1948 Cohen advised both the United States and the new state of Israel with respect to the first official exchange between those two countries.Cohen provided crucial advice and counsel to senators working for the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957, , primarily a voting rights bill, was the first civil rights legislation enacted by Congress in the United States since Reconstruction following the American Civil War.Following the historic US Supreme Court ruling in Brown v...
.
Personal life
Education: University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
(Ph.B. 1914; J.D. 1915). Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
(S.J.D. 1916)
Cohen was the uncle of Selma Jeanne Cohen
Selma Jeanne Cohen
Selma Jeanne Cohen was a dance historian, editor, and teacher who devoted her career to advocating dance as an art worthy of the same scholarly respect traditionally awarded to painting, music, and literature...
, a prominent dance historian.
Characterizations
- "Cohen was known for his slouching posture, sloppy dress, absentminded table manners - and for a skill at drafting legislation that was generally reckoned the best in the United States."
- He "looked and talked, as a friend wrote, 'like a Dickens portrait of an absent-minded professor.'"
Works
- Report on the Work of the United Nations Disarmament Commission (1953)
- The United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
: Constitutional Developments, Growth, and Possibilities (Harvard University Press : 1961)
Biography
Lasser, William, Benjamin V. Cohen: Architect of the New Deal (Yale University Press : 2002)Magazines
The Janizariat, TIMETime
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
Magazine (September 12, 1938)