Dick Cohen
Encyclopedia
Richard J. "Dick" Cohen is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota State Senate, representing District 64, which includes portions of the city of Saint Paul
in Ramsey County
. A Democrat
, Cohen currently serves on the Senate's Finance, Jobs and Economic Growth, Rules and Administration, and State Government Innovation and Veterans committees. He was chair of the Senate Finance Committee from 2003 to 2011, and chair of the Senate State Government Finance Committee from 1997 to 2001.
Cohen was first elected to the Minnesota Legislature
in 1976. He served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
for District 63B and, after redistricting
in 1982, for District 64B. He was elected senator for District 64 in 1986. after defeating the lone Republican senator within the Twin Cities
. He was re-elected in the 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2010 elections.
On November 3, 2009, President Barack Obama
announced Cohen's appointment to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities
. Cohen is considered by many to be the leading champion for the arts in the Minnesota Legislature. He led the campaign to include funding for the arts in the Clean Water, Land and Legacy constitutional amendment that Minnesota voters approved in 2008, and he serves on boards of the Guthrie Theater
and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Cohen was born in Saint Paul and graduated from Highland Park High School
. He earned his B.A.
from Northwestern University
in Evanston, Illinois
and his J.D.
from William Mitchell College of Law
in Saint Paul.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
politician and a member of the Minnesota State Senate, representing District 64, which includes portions of the city of Saint Paul
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
in Ramsey County
Ramsey County, Minnesota
Ramsey County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota, founded in 1849. As of 2010, the population was 508,640. Its county seat is St. Paul, which is also Minnesota's state capital. The county is named for Alexander Ramsey , the first governor of the Minnesota Territory...
. A Democrat
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party...
, Cohen currently serves on the Senate's Finance, Jobs and Economic Growth, Rules and Administration, and State Government Innovation and Veterans committees. He was chair of the Senate Finance Committee from 2003 to 2011, and chair of the Senate State Government Finance Committee from 1997 to 2001.
Cohen was first elected to the Minnesota Legislature
Minnesota Legislature
The Minnesota Legislature is the legislative branch of government in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is a bicameral legislature located at the Minnesota Capitol in Saint Paul and it consists of two houses: the lower Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate...
in 1976. He served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
Minnesota House of Representatives
The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house in the Minnesota State Legislature. There are 134 members elected to two-year terms, twice the number of members in the Minnesota Senate. Each senate district is divided in half and given the suffix A or B...
for District 63B and, after redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
in 1982, for District 64B. He was elected senator for District 64 in 1986. after defeating the lone Republican senator within the Twin Cities
Twin cities
Twin cities are a special case of two cities or urban centres which are founded in close geographic proximity and then grow into each other over time...
. He was re-elected in the 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2010 elections.
On November 3, 2009, President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
announced Cohen's appointment to the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities
President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities
The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities was established in Washington, DC in 1982 by an Executive Order from President Ronald Reagan and works with each Administration to incorporate the arts and the humanities into White House objectives....
. Cohen is considered by many to be the leading champion for the arts in the Minnesota Legislature. He led the campaign to include funding for the arts in the Clean Water, Land and Legacy constitutional amendment that Minnesota voters approved in 2008, and he serves on boards of the Guthrie Theater
Guthrie Theater
The Guthrie Theater is a center for theater performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of the desire of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Oliver Rea, and Peter Zeisler to create a resident acting company that would produce and perform the classics in...
and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Cohen was born in Saint Paul and graduated from Highland Park High School
Highland Park High School (Minnesota)
Highland Park Senior High School is a public secondary school in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States serving grades 9 through 12. It is located in the Highland Park neighborhood....
. He earned his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
and his J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from William Mitchell College of Law
William Mitchell College of Law
William Mitchell College of Law, or WMCL, is a private, independent law school located in St. Paul, Minnesota. Accredited by the American Bar Association , it offers full and part-time legal education in pursuit of the Juris Doctor degree....
in Saint Paul.
Electoral history
External links
- Minnesota Senate - Senator Richard J. Cohen Web Page
- Minnesota Public Radio - Votetracker: Richard J. Cohen Voting Record
- Project Vote Smart - Senator Richard J. 'Dick' Cohen Profile
- Follow the Money - Richard Cohen Campaign Contributions