Morley Mitchell Cohen, CM CQ, born in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

, Manitoba (1917–2001), was a Canadian entrepreneur, community builder, philanthropist, and Member of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

. He served with the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

from 1940–1945.

Background

Cohen came from a poor immigrant family of eight, the son of Alexander and Rose (Diamond) Cohen. His five brothers, John, Albert D. Cohen, Harry B. Cohen, Samuel N. Cohen, and Joseph H. Cohen, set up a small retail store and, by 1939, the family had created General Distributors Ltd., a wholesale import firm. In the early fifties, the company obtained exclusive Canadian rights for

Paper Mate Paper Mate is a registered division of Sanford L.P., a Newell Brands company that produces writing instruments. Paper Mate's offices are located in Oak Brook, Illinois, along with those of Newell Rubbermaid's other office products divisions. ...

pens. The brothers scattered across Canada in order to manage the national business, with Morley in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

. The brothers participated in various joint ventures and/or owned several minority interests in

oil & gas A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels may ...

exploration, development, and distribution.

Philanthropy

Cohen was considered to be one of the major community builders/philanthropists in Montreal. Several of his notable accomplishments include: * Former Director of the

Montreal Board of Trade Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...

(1973–1975) * Former Chairman, Capital Fund Drive, YMHA (1980) * Former Chairman, Arthritis Society (1980) * Former Director of Canadian Unity Council (1983) * Former Director of

Montreal General Hospital The Montreal General Hospital (MGH) (french: Hôpital Général de Montréal) is a hospital in Montreal, Quebec, Canada established in the years 1818-1820. The hospital received its charter in 1823. It is currently part of the McGill University ...

(1988) * Former Chairman, Capital Campaign,

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA; french: Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal, MBAM) is an art museum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the largest art museum in Canada by gallery space. The museum is located on the historic Golden Square ...

(1989)

Morley and Rita Cohen Foundation

Founded in 1990, the Morley and Rita Cohen Foundation was created for support and services within the charitable sector, hospitals, and universities/colleges.

Awards

* Honorary Doctorate, Philosophy,

University of Haifa The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming ...

(1985) *

National Order of Quebec The National Order of Quebec, termed officially in French as ''l'Ordre national du Québec'', and in English abbreviation as the Order of Quebec, is an order of merit in the Canadian province of Quebec. Instituted in 1984 when Lieutenant Governo ...

(1995) *

(2000)

Sources

* * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Morley Anglophone Quebec people Businesspeople from Montreal Businesspeople from Winnipeg Jewish Canadian philanthropists Members of the Order of Canada Knights of the National Order of Quebec Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II 1917 births 2001 deaths 20th-century philanthropists