# John S. Cohen

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American politician (1870–1935)

John S. Cohen United States Senator from Georgia In office April 25, 1932 – January 11, 1933 Appointed by Richard Russell Jr. Preceded by William J. Harris Succeeded by Richard Russell Jr. Personal details Born John Sanford Cohen (1870-02-26)February 26, 1870 Augusta, Georgia, U.S. Died May 13, 1935(1935-05-13) (aged 65) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Party Democratic

**John Sanford Cohen** (February 26, 1870 – May 13, 1935) was a [United States senator](/source/United_States_senator) from [Georgia](/source/Georgia_(U.S._state)).

## Life and career

Cohen was born in [Augusta, Georgia](/source/Augusta%2C_Georgia), the son of Ellen Gobert (Wright) and Philip Lawrence Cohen.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] His father was from a long-established [Jewish](/source/Jewish) family. Cohen was raised in his mother's [Episcopalian](/source/Episcopal_Church_(United_States)) faith. His maternal grandfather was politician and Confederate Civil War general [Ambrose R. Wright](/source/Ambrose_R._Wright).[1]

Cohen was educated at [Richmond Academy](/source/Academy_of_Richmond_County) in Augusta and [Shenandoah Valley Academy](/source/Shenandoah_Valley_Academy) at [Winchester, Virginia](/source/Winchester%2C_Virginia). He attended the [United States Naval Academy](/source/United_States_Naval_Academy) in 1885 and 1886, and became a newspaper reporter for the [New York World](/source/New_York_World) in 1886. He was secretary to [Secretary of the Interior](/source/United_States_Secretary_of_the_Interior) [Hoke Smith](/source/M._Hoke_Smith) from 1893 to 1896, and was a member of the [press galleries](/source/Press_gallery) of the [United States Congress](/source/United_States_Congress) from 1893 to 1897. During the [Spanish–American War](/source/Spanish%E2%80%93American_War), he served as a [war correspondent](/source/War_correspondent) for the *[Atlanta Journal](/source/Atlanta_Journal)*, and subsequently enlisted and served in the Third Georgia Volunteer Infantry, attaining the rank of major. He was a member of the army of occupation in Cuba, and was president of the *Atlanta Journal*, which he edited from 1900 to 1935.[2] He originated the plan for the [national highway](/source/National_Highway_System_(United_States)) from [New York City](/source/New_York_City) to [Jacksonville, Florida](/source/Jacksonville%2C_Florida),[3] and was vice chairman of the [Democratic National Committee](/source/Democratic_National_Committee) from 1932 to 1935.

Cohen was appointed on April 25, 1932 to the United States Senate as a [Democrat](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)) to fill the vacancy caused by the death of [William J. Harris](/source/William_J._Harris) and served from April 25, 1932 to January 11, 1933, when a successor was duly [elected](/source/1932_United_States_Senate_elections) and qualified. He was not a candidate in 1932 to fill the vacancy, and continued his former business activities until his death in [Atlanta](/source/Atlanta). He was buried at [Westview Cemetery](/source/Westview_Cemetery), in Atlanta.

In 1942 Cohen was inducted into the [Georgia Newspaper Hall of Fame](/source/Georgia_Newspaper_Hall_of_Fame).[4]

## Further reading

- United States Congress. ["John S. Cohen (id: C000597)"](http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000597). *[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress](/source/Biographical_Directory_of_the_United_States_Congress)*.

- *The Encyclopedia of the Spanish-American and Philippine-American War: A Political, Social, and Military History, Vol. I.* By [Spencer C. Tucker](/source/Spencer_C._Tucker). p. 127

- [Maisel, L. Sandy](/source/L._Sandy_Maisel); [Forman, Ira N.](/source/Ira_Forman), eds. (2001). *Jews in American Politics*. [Rowman & Littlefield](/source/Rowman_%26_Littlefield). pp. 51–52.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Cohen, John Sanford | Encyclopedia.com"](https://www.encyclopedia.com/religion/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/cohen-john-sanford).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** *Concise Dictionary of American Biography*, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1964, p. 179: "**COHEN, JOHN SANFORD** (*b. Augusta, Ga., 1870; d. 1927*)...outstanding editor of the *Atlanta Journal*, 1900-35"

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Ingram, Tammy (2014). *Dixie Highway : Road Building and the Making of the Modern South, 1900-1930*. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. p. 40. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781469629827](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781469629827).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-gpa1942_4-0)** ["Merit Awards Given 11 State Publishers"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/53436701/georgia-press-association-1942-meeting/). *The Atlanta Constitution*. July 18, 1942. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved July 1, 2020 – via [newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com).

## External links

- [Henry Ford and Major John S. Cohen among a group of men at WSB](http://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/broadcast/id/885) from the Broadcasting Collections at [Georgia State University](/source/Georgia_State_University)

- [Atlanta National Bank Board of Directors, 1911](http://album.atlantahistorycenter.com/cdm/ref/collection/athpc/id/987) from the [Atlanta History Center](/source/Atlanta_History_Center)

U.S. Senate Preceded by William J. Harris U.S. senator (Class 2) from Georgia April 25, 1932 – January 11, 1933 Served alongside: Walter F. George Succeeded by Richard Russell, Jr.

v t e United States senators from Georgia Class 2 Few Jackson Walton Tattnall Baldwin Jones Crawford Bulloch Bibb Troup Forsyth Walker Ware Cobb Prince Troup King Lumpkin Berrien Charlton Toombs H. Miller Norwood B. Hill Barrow A. Colquitt Walsh Bacon West Hardwick Harris Cohen Russell Gambrell Nunn Cleland Chambliss Perdue Ossoff Class 3 Gunn Jackson Milledge Tait Elliott Berrien Forsyth Cuthbert W. Colquitt Johnson Dawson Iverson J. Hill Gordon Brown Gordon Clay Terrell Smith Watson Felton George Talmadge Mattingly Fowler Coverdell Z. Miller Isakson Loeffler Warnock

Authority control databases International VIAF FAST WorldCat National United States People US Congress

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