Daniel Florence Cohalan (December 21, 1865,

Middletown, Orange County, New York Middletown is a city in Orange County, New York, United States. It lies in New York's Hudson Valley region, near the Wallkill River and the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains. Middletown is situated between Port Jervis and Newburgh, New Yo ...

– November 12, 1946,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

) was an Irish American lawyer and politician.

Life

He was the son of Timothy E. Cohalan and Ellen (O'Leary) Cohalan. He graduated from Manhattan College in 1885. Then he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1888, and practiced in Orange County. In September 1889, he removed to

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

, practiced law there, and entered politics, joining

Tammany Hall Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

. He was Grand Sachem of the

Tammany Society Tammany Hall, also known as the Society of St. Tammany, the Sons of St. Tammany, or the Columbian Order, was a New York City political organization founded in 1786 and incorporated on May 12, 1789 as the Tammany Society. It became the main loc ...

from 1908 to 1911. On May 18, 1911, he was appointed by Gov.

John Alden Dix John Alden Dix (December 25, 1860 – April 9, 1928) was an American businessman and politician who served as 38th Governor of New York from January 1911 to January 1913. A native of Glens Falls, New York, Dix attended Cornell University befo ...

to the New York Supreme Court, to fill the vacancy caused by the election of

James Aloysius O'Gorman James Aloysius O'Gorman (May 5, 1860 – May 17, 1943) was an American attorney, judge, and politician from New York. A Democrat, he is most notable for his service as a United States Senator from March 31, 1911 to March 3, 1917. A native of ...

U.S. Senator from New York Below is a list of U.S. senators who have represented the State of New York in the United States Senate since 1789. The date of the start of the tenure is either the first day of the legislative term (Senators who were elected regularly before th ...

. In November 1911, Cohalan was elected to succeed himself. On December 28, 1923, he tendered his resignation, to become effective on January 12, 1924, claiming that the annual salary of $17,500 was not enough to provide for his large family. He was a close associate of Irish revolutionary leader

John Devoy John Devoy ( ga, Seán Ó Dubhuí, ; 3 September 1842 – 29 September 1928) was an Irish republican rebel and journalist who owned and edited '' The Gaelic American'', a New York weekly newspaper, from 1903 to 1928. Devoy dedicated over ...

and was influential in many Irish-American societies including

Clan na Gael Clan na Gael ( ga, label=modern Irish orthography, Clann na nGael, ; "family of the Gaels") was an Irish republican organization in the United States in the late 19th and 20th centuries, successor to the Fenian Brotherhood and a sister org ...

. Cohalan was involved with the financing and planning of the Easter Rising in Dublin and was instrumental in sending

Roger Casement Roger David Casement ( ga, Ruairí Dáithí Mac Easmainn; 1 September 1864 – 3 August 1916), known as Sir Roger Casement, CMG, between 1911 and 1916, was a diplomat and Irish nationalist executed by the United Kingdom for treason during Worl ...

to Germany in 1914. He was Chairman of the Irish Race Convention held in Philadelphia (22–23 February 1919) and active in the

Friends of Irish Freedom The Friends of Irish Freedom was an Irish-American nationalist organisation founded at the third Irish Race Convention held in New York (4–5 March 1916). Supported by the United Irish League, the Ancient Order of Hibernians and other leading I ...

(1916–1934). Cohalan strongly opposed President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

's proposals for the

League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...

, on the basis that the

Irish Republic The Irish Republic ( ga, Poblacht na hÉireann or ) was an unrecognised revolutionary state that declared its independence from the United Kingdom in January 1919. The Republic claimed jurisdiction over the whole island of Ireland, but by ...

had been denied a policy of self-determination at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. Cohalan broke with both

Éamon de Valera Éamon de Valera (, ; first registered as George de Valero; changed some time before 1901 to Edward de Valera; 14 October 1882 – 29 August 1975) was a prominent Irish statesman and political leader. He served several terms as head of govern ...

and Irish-American leader

Joseph McGarrity Joseph McGarrity (28 March 1874 – 4 September 1940) was an Irish-American political activist best known for his leadership in Clan na Gael in America and his support of Irish Republicanism back in Ireland. Early years McGarrity was born in C ...

in late 1919 on Irish-American political direction. He died at his New York City home on November 12, 1946, and was buried at the Calvary Cemetery in

Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...

. State Senator John P. Cohalan (1873–1950) was one of his eleven siblings, and church historian Monsignor Florence Daniel Cohalan (1908–2001) was one of his nine children.

References

* D.J.Hickey & J.E.Doherty. A Dictionary of Irish History. Gill & MacMillan. Ireland 1980. p81
''DIX NAMES COHALAN FOR SUPREME COURT''
in NYT on May 19, 1911

in NYT on December 29, 1923 (subscription required)

in NYT on November 13, 1946 (subscription required) he age given "81" is contradicted by printed sources from the 1930s which state December 21, 1867, as birth date. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cohalan, Daniel F 1867 births 1946 deaths People from Middletown, Orange County, New York Manhattan College alumni New York Supreme Court Justices People from the Bronx Burials at Calvary Cemetery (Queens)