Mendes Israel Cohen (1796-1879) was a Jewish American politician, traveler and businessman who lived in Baltimore, Maryland.
Early life
Cohen was born in
Richmond, Virginia, in 1796, one of nine children of Israel I. Cohen and
Judith Solomon Cohen.
The family moved to
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, Maryland, in 1803. As a young man he worked in the family businesses: Cohen's Lottery and Exchange, and
Jacob I. Cohen, Jr. and Brothers Banking House.
The Cohens' lottery raised money to help finance construction of
Baltimore’s Washington Monument in Mount Vernon. In 1821, they and their lottery were the subject of a Supreme Court lawsuit
Cohens v. Virginia
''Cohens v. Virginia'', 19 U.S. (6 Wheat.) 264 (1821), is a landmark case by the Supreme Court of the United States that is most notable for the Court's assertion of its power to review state supreme court decisions in criminal law matters if def ...
, asserting the federal government’s right to review and overturn state Supreme Court decisions.
Military service
In the
War of 1812
The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...
, Cohen and his brothers Philip and Jacob joined a volunteer company charged with defending Baltimore–Nicholson’s Artillery Fencibles--serving under Captain
Joseph H. Nicholson.
He participated in the
Battle of Baltimore
The Battle of Baltimore (September 12–15, 1814) was a sea/land battle fought between British invaders and American defenders in the War of 1812. American forces repulsed sea and land invasions off the busy port city of Baltimore, Maryland ...
.
World travel
In 1829, Cohen retired from the family business a wealthy man and traveled the world collecting artifacts.
He visited England, Russia, Turkey, Palestine, Egypt, and most of the countries in Central and Western Europe. He was said to be the first American to tour the
Nile Valley.
He was a prolific writer of letters, which often contained his itinerary and appointments. Cohen attended the coronation of
William IV
William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...
in June 1830 and the funeral of
King George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten ye ...
in August 1830.
He met
Pope Gregory XVI
Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He ...
on January 29, 1831. He represented Maryland at the coronation of
Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
in 1838.
He was the first American citizen who received permission from the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
to visit Palestine and he wrote about the hardships of the Jews of Jerusalem.
Public service
Cohen returned to the United States and became a public servant, first as an aide to the Maryland governor,
Thomas Veazey. Veazey gave Mendes the ceremonial title "Colonel" in recognition of his service in the Battle of Baltimore.
He was elected to the House of Delegates from Baltimore City in 1847 and served a single term. He was the first Jewish member of the Maryland General Assembly and serves as a trustee to the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
He was also on the board of the Hebrew Benevolent Society in 1858 when they launched plans for the Hebrew Hospital of Baltimore, now known as
Sinai Hospital.
Legacy
Cohen was a lifelong bachelor and died without heirs. His collections from his travels were donated in 1884 by his namesake nephew to
Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...
, where they became the Cohen collection of Egyptian antiquities.
His portrait was painted by
Joseph Wood (1818) and
Rembrandt Peale
Rembrandt Peale (February 22, 1778 – October 3, 1860) was an American artist and museum keeper. A prolific portrait painter, he was especially acclaimed for his likenesses of presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Peale's style w ...
(1838). The
Jewish Museum of Maryland created an exhibit about his life in 2015.
References
External links
The A-Mazing Mendes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Mendes
1796 births
1879 deaths
Members of the Maryland House of Delegates
American people of the War of 1812
People from Baltimore
People from Richmond, Virginia
19th-century American politicians
People of the War of 1812
Jewish American people in Maryland politics