Henry Isaac Cohen (21 February 1872 – 20 December 1942) was an Australian barrister and politician.

Personal life

Isaac Henry Cohen, always known as Henry Isaac, was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

to financier David Cohen and Rachael Marks, both of

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. On 27 June 1901 he married Ethel Mary Keon of

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () or () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, Launceston has a population of 87,645. Material was copied ...

. Cohen retained Jewish associations but his wife was a Catholic; their three sons and two daughters, who adopted the name Keon-Cohen, were brought up as Anglicans and attended Presbyterian schools.

Education

Cohen attended St James' Grammar School, the Melbourne Hebrew School and, from 1885, Scotch College where he was dux in 1888 and 1889. A student of

Ormond College Ormond College is the largest of the residential colleges of the University of Melbourne located in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is home to around 350 undergraduates, 90 graduates and 35 professorial and academic residents. Hi ...

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, he graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in 1894 and a

Bachelor of Law Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

with honours in 1895.

Barrister

In 1896 Cohen was called to the bar, but his career progressed slowly in the depressed 1890s. However, after a widely reported case in 1906, he began to prosper, building up a large practice in all jurisdictions except the criminal. He

took silk In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...

in 1920.

Politician and public life

At a by-election in May 1921, Cohen was elected to the

Victorian Legislative Council The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...

for

Melbourne Province Melbourne Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council (Australia). Melbourne Province was created in 1882 when Central Province was abolished in the redistribution of Provinces. Its area included central Melbourne, Carlto ...

as a

Nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

. He was a minister without portfolio from 1923 to 1924, Minister of Public Works and Mines from March to July 1924,

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

and Solicitor-General in July 1924, Minister of Public Instruction from 1928 to 1929, and Minister of Water Supply and Electrical Undertakings from March to April 1935. He was the unofficial leader of the Nationalist Party in the Legislative Council from 1922 to 1923, 1924 to 1929, and 1935 to 1937. In 1937 he contested

Higinbotham Province Higinbotham Province was an electorate of the Victorian Legislative Council. It existed as a two-member electorate from 1937 to 2006, with members serving alternating eight-year terms. It was considered a safe seat for the Liberal throughout ...

but lost to James Kennedy. Cohen was a trustee of the Melbourne Exhibition for twenty years from February 1922. Active in welfare movements during the Depression, he was a member of the Slum Abolition Council and the Big Brother Movement and was president of the Children's Welfare Association. Cohen was a foundation member of the Old Scotch Collegians' Club and was president of the Association in 1921-1922.

Death

He died in Armadale on 20 December 1942.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Henry 1872 births 1942 deaths Nationalist Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Victoria United Australia Party members of the Parliament of Victoria Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Vice-Presidents of the Board of Land and Works Attorneys-General of Victoria Solicitors-General of Victoria Australian King's Counsel Jewish Australian politicians Politicians from Melbourne Australian people of English-Jewish descent University of Melbourne alumni