Arthur Cohen, (18 November 1830 – 3 November 1914) was an English
barrister and
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
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politician.
Biography
He was born in
Wyndham Place, Bryanston Square, London, the youngest son of Benjamin Cohen (1789–1867), a prosperous bill broker. His grandfather,
Levy Barent Cohen
Levy Barent Cohen (1747 – 1808) was a Dutch-born British financier and community worker.
Early life
Levy Barent Cohen was born in Amsterdam in 1747. He was the son of Barent Cohen, a wealthy merchant. The Jewish Encyclopedia, Funk & Wagnalls, ...
(1740–1808), had moved from Holland. His mother, Justina (1800–1873), was the sister of Sir
Moses Montefiore
Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, philanthropist and Sheriff of London. Born to an Italian Sephardic Jewish family based in London, aft ...
.
After three years' study at the
gymnasium in
Frankfurt-on-the-Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
, he entered as a student at
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = ...
. He proceeded to
Cambridge University
The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...
at a time when it was almost impossible for a
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
to gain admission into the colleges. In 1849, he was received into
Magdalene College, Cambridge to read Mathematics. In 1853 he was
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
of the
Cambridge Union Society
The Cambridge Union Society, also known as the Cambridge Union, is a debating and free speech society in Cambridge, England, and the largest society in the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1815, it is the oldest continuously running debati ...
. At Cambridge Cohen had a successful career, coming out fifth
wrangler in the
Mathematical tripos
The Mathematical Tripos is the mathematics course that is taught in the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. It is the oldest Tripos examined at the University.
Origin
In its classical nineteenth-century form, the tripos was ...
. As a Jew he could not take his degree until after the passing of the Cambridge Reform Act of 1856, which abolished the obligatory Christian oath which had preceded graduation. In 1858 Cohen became the first professing Jew to graduate at Cambridge, taking his
MA in 1860.
Cohen then
read law and was
called to the bar in 1857. He established for himself a reputation in shipping and insurance cases. Among several important appointments was his selection to represent the interests of England in the famous arbitration case (
Alabama Claims
The ''Alabama'' Claims were a series of demands for damages sought by the federal government of the United States, government of the United States from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom in 1869, for the attacks upon ...
) connected with the
CSS ''Alabama'' at
Geneva
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
in 1872. He was for many years after 1876 standing counsel for his university. He often represented foreign governments in disputes before the English law courts, as, for example, the Japanese government in an important case against the
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
P&O (in full, The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company) is a British shipping and logistics company dating from the early 19th century. Formerly a public company, it was sold to DP World in March 2006 for £3.9 billion. DP World c ...
.
Cohen in 1874 unsuccessfully contested
Lewes in the Liberal interest. In 1880, he was elected for the
Southwark division, and shortly afterward in February 1881, was offered a judgeship, which he declined, Gladstone not wishing to trigger a risky by-election. The offer was never renewed, though later he became a judge of the
Cinque Ports. In 1905, he was sworn of the
Privy Council.
On his death,
A. V. Dicey wrote that "The death of Arthur Cohen has robbed the Bar of one of its glories. He came as near as a man could to the ideal of an English lawyer. This assertion may no doubt appear to the ordinary public to savour of exaggeration. But it is in reality the simplest statement of an indubitable fact."
Cohen held various important positions in the London Jewish community. For many years he was president of the
Board of Deputies, succeeding his uncle, Sir
Moses Montefiore
Sir Moses Haim Montefiore, 1st Baronet, (24 October 1784 – 28 July 1885) was a British financier and banker, activist, philanthropist and Sheriff of London. Born to an Italian Sephardic Jewish family based in London, aft ...
; but he resigned the position in 1894. He was a vice-president of
Jews' College
The London School of Jewish Studies (commonly known as LSJS, originally founded as Jews' College) is a London-based organisation providing adult educational courses and training to the wider Jewish community. Since 2012 LSJS also offers rabbinic ...
, and for many years president of the borough Jewish schools.
In 1860, he married Emmeline, daughter of Henry Micholls. Their daughter Margaret married the educationalist Sir
Theodore Morison
Sir Theodore Morison (9 May 1863 – 14 February 1936) was a British educationalist who served as a Member of the Council of India and Director of the University of London Institute in Paris. He is best known as an interpreter of Muslim life ...
.
Bibliography
* ''
Young Israel
The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) or Young Israel (in Hebrew: , ''Yisrael Hatza'ir''), is a synagogue-based Orthodox Judaism organization in the United States with a network of affiliated "Young Israel" synagogues. Young Israel was found ...
'', ii., No. 13;
* ''
People of the Period'', 1897;
* ''
Jewish Year Book
The ''Jewish Year Book'' is an almanac targeted at the Jewish community in the United Kingdom. It has been published every year since 1896 and is currently published by Vallentine Mitchell in association with ''The Jewish Chronicle'' and is edited ...
'', 1901–2.
* ''
Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
''
External link
*
:
::By
Joseph Jacobs
Joseph Jacobs (29 August 1854 – 30 January 1916) was an Australian folklorist, translator, literary critic, social scientist, historian and writer of English literature who became a notable collector and publisher of English folklore.
Jacob ...
,
Goodman LipkindJewishEncyclopedia.com – COHEN, ARTHUR:
at jewishencyclopedia.com
References
External links
*
* Cohen's entry at ''Who's Who
''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biography, biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a gr ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Arthur
1830 births
1914 deaths
English barristers
English Jews
Alumni of University College London
Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge
Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Presidents of the Cambridge Union
Politics of the London Borough of Southwark
UK MPs 1880–1885
UK MPs 1885–1886
UK MPs 1886–1892
Presidents of the Board of Deputies of British Jews
Jewish British politicians
Fellows of the British Academy
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
English people of Dutch-Jewish descent
Cohen family