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Mr John Jacob COHEN (1859 - 1939)

  • Date of Birth: 20/12/1859
  • Place of Birth: Grafton, New South Wales, Australia
  • Date of Death: 25/03/1939
  • Place of Death: Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia

Parliamentary Service

Position Start End Period Parliament Notes
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly27 Jul 189830 Jan 191920yrs 6mths 4days18th (1898 - 1901)
Member for Petersham27 Jul 189811 Jun 19012yr(s) 10mth(s) 16day(s)18th (1898 - 1901)
Member for Petersham3 Jul 190116 Jul 19043yr(s) 14day(s)19th (1901 - 1904)
Member for Petersham6 Aug 190419 Aug 19073yr(s) 14day(s)20th (1904 - 1907)
Member for Petersham10 Sep 190714 Sep 19103yr(s) 5day(s)21st (1907 - 1910)
Member for Petersham14 Oct 19106 Nov 19133yr(s) 24day(s)22nd (1910 - 1913)
Member for Petersham15 Nov 191321 Feb 19173yr(s) 3mth(s) 7day(s)23rd (1913 - 1917)
Member for Petersham24 Mar 191730 Jan 19191yr(s) 10mth(s) 7day(s)24th (1917 - 1920)
Member for Petersham24 Mar 191730 Jan 19191yr(s) 10mth(s) 7day(s)
Chairman of Committees24 Oct 190714 Sep 19102yr(s) 10mth(s) 22day(s)
Speaker of the Legislative Assembly17 Apr 191730 Jan 19191yr(s) 9mth(s) 14day(s)
Saywell’s Tramway and Electric Lighting Bill Committee No. 1220 Sep 189823 Dec 18983mths 4days18th (1898 - 1901)
North Shore Bridge Bill Committee No. 1526 Oct 189823 Dec 18981mth 28days18th (1898 - 1901)
Illawarra Harbour and Land Corporation Act Further Amendment Bill Committee No.222 Dec 18986 Dec 18985days18th (1898 - 1901)
Claim of Glebe Borough Council in respect of Sewerage Works Committee No.104 Sep 19019 Oct 19011mth 6days19th (1901 - 1904)
System of Municipal Government for Greater Sydney Committee No.920 Jun 190220 Dec 19026mths 1day19th (1901 - 1904)
Claim of James Ross, Pilot Boatman Committee No.1830 Oct 190217 Dec 19021mth 18days19th (1901 - 1904)
Miners’ Accident Relief (Bulli Fund Bill) Committee No.2028 Nov 190220 Dec 190223days19th (1901 - 1904)
Sydney Harbour Collieries (Limited) Bill Committee No.919 Aug 190310 Nov 19032mths 23days19th (1901 - 1904)
Standing Orders Committee No.321 Sep 19049 Nov 19041mth 20days19th (1901 - 1904)
Municipal District of Cowra Reduced Area Bill Committee No.81 Nov 190416 Nov 190416days19th (1901 - 1904)
Coraki Roman Catholic Church Trustees Enabling Bill Committee No.1229 Nov 19046 Dec 19048days19th (1901 - 1904)
Lieutenant Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.113 Jun 190513 Jun 19051day20th (1904 - 1907)
Standing Orders Committee No.328 Jun 19059 Dec 19055mths 12days20th (1904 - 1907)
Moss Vale Cattle Sale-yards Bill Committee No.1210 Aug 190524 Aug 190515days20th (1904 - 1907)Chairman
Standing Orders Committee No.310 Jul 190618 Dec 19065mths 9days20th (1904 - 1907)
David Berry Hospital Bill Committee No.1422 Nov 19066 Dec 190615days20th (1904 - 1907)
The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.12 Jul 19072 Jul 19071day20th (1904 - 1907)
Standing Orders Committee No.49 Jul 190712 Jul 19074days20th (1904 - 1907)
Standing Orders Committee No.224 Oct 190720 Dec 19071mth 27days21st (1907 - 1910)
Standing Orders Committee No.213 Mar 190811 Apr 190830days21st (1907 - 1910)
Standing Orders Committee No.35 Aug 190819 Dec 19084mths 15days21st (1907 - 1910)
Standing Orders Committee No.314 Jul 190917 Dec 19095mths 4days21st (1907 - 1910)
Standing Orders Committee No.328 Jun 191020 Aug 19101mth 24days21st (1907 - 1910)
Standing Orders Committee No.330 Nov 191023 Dec 191024days22nd (1910 - 1913)
Standing Orders Committee No.330 May 19111 Aug 19112mths 3days22nd (1910 - 1913)
Claims of Harry K.Carpenter Committee No.1618 Jul 19111 Aug 191115days22nd (1910 - 1913)
Claims of Harry K.Carpenter Committee No.1410 Oct 191122 Nov 19111mth 13days22nd (1910 - 1913)
Standing Orders Committee No.37 Aug 19125 Dec 19123mths 29days22nd (1910 - 1913)
Newcastle Iron and Steel Works Bill Committee No.1110 Oct 191231 Oct 191222days22nd (1910 - 1913)
Standing Orders Committee No.36 Aug 191315 Oct 19132mths 10days22nd (1910 - 1913)
Standing Orders Committee No. 411 Mar 191418 Apr 19141mth 8days23rd (1913 - 1917)
Elections and Qualifications Committee No. 221 Jul 191423 Feb 19157mths 3days23rd (1913 - 1917)
Standing Orders Committee No. 422 Jul 191423 Feb 19157mths 2days23rd (1913 - 1917)
Elections and Qualifications Committee No. 21 Jul 191513 Apr 19169mths 13days23rd (1913 - 1917)
Standing Orders Committee No. 32 Jul 191513 Apr 19169mths 12days23rd (1913 - 1917)

Political Party Activity

Liberal Reform Party.


Community Activity

Founder and Treasurer of of the Queensland Institute of Architects, 1888, and a life member from 1892. Honorary Member of the Institute of Architects of New South Wales. Director Hospital Saturday Fund of New South Wales, 1893-1936. Chairman of the Metropolitan Hospitals Contribution Fund. Vice-President, Red Cross Society. Founder of the University Club 1905, and Director between 1905-1917. Chairman, Kurnell Trust. Active supported of Federation. Member of the Board of Management of the Great Synagogue, 1900 until 1938, and Treasurer in 1903.


Qualifications, occupations and interests

Lawyer (barrister). Educated at Ullamarra Public School, Grafton Grammar; Calder House, Redfern. University of Sydney. Practised as a barrister when he was elected to the Legislative Assembly. B.A (lst class honours in Mathematics) in 1879, and a Master of Arts in 1881. He also received a blue for Rugby. Was articled to Norman Self, a consulting engineer and worked with Davy and Sands, Engineers. At the same time, he studied architecture at night. In 1882, he moved to Mackay in Queensland as a consulting engineer and architect. He moved to Brisbane in 1884. In 1892, he returned to Sydney and read for the Bar, to which he was admitted in 1894. Between 1919 and 1929, he was a District Court Judge.


Personal

Son of Samuel, a storekeeper and Rosetta Manser. Married Bertie, daughter of Bertram Hollander, on 12 March 1889 and had issue, 2 sons. Jewish. Estate was valued for probate at £4,824.


Additional Information

References: Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8. H. T. E. Holt, 'A Court Rises: The Lives and Times of the Judges of the District Court of New South Wales (1859 - 1959)', Sydney, the Law Foundation of New South Wales, 1976. J. J. Cohen, 'Judge John J. Cohen - Memoirs', n.d. [c. 1940]. A copy of this booklet is in the Parliamentary Archives: PRS 81.LA: 39 - Legislative Assembly, Special Bundles, 1879 - 1991 (Item 39). The booklet appears to have been privately printed by his widow. Text from the book: 'The Presiding Officers of the Parliament of New South Wales', Sydney, 1995
He was elected to the Legislative Assembly as the Member for Petersham in 1896 on a platform in support of Federation. Cohen held the positions of Chairman of Committees from 1907 until 1910 and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1917 until 1919. He was an energetic advocate of Federation and he possessed broad mindedness and a tolerant disposition. An illustration of his tolerance was an acknowledgement of a personal apology tendered him as Speaker by a Member, saying he felt at the time that the honourable Member didn't mean it, so he would forget all about it. His controversial appointment to the District Court Bench came a day after his resignation from both Parliament and the Speakership. He died on 25 March 1939 at Woollahra, Sydney.



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