Mr John Jacob COHEN (1859 - 1939)**

Date of Birth: 20/12/1859 Place of Birth: Grafton, New South Wales, Australia Date of Death: 25/03/1939 Place of Death: Woollahra, New South Wales, Australia

Parliamentary Service

Position Start End Period Notes Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 27 Jul 1898 30 Jan 1919 20yrs 6mths 4days 18th (1898 - 1901) Member for Petersham 27 Jul 1898 11 Jun 1901 2yr(s) 10mth(s) 16day(s) 18th (1898 - 1901) Member for Petersham 3 Jul 1901 16 Jul 1904 3yr(s) 14day(s) 19th (1901 - 1904) Member for Petersham 6 Aug 1904 19 Aug 1907 3yr(s) 14day(s) 20th (1904 - 1907) Member for Petersham 10 Sep 1907 14 Sep 1910 3yr(s) 5day(s) 21st (1907 - 1910) Member for Petersham 14 Oct 1910 6 Nov 1913 3yr(s) 24day(s) 22nd (1910 - 1913) Member for Petersham 15 Nov 1913 21 Feb 1917 3yr(s) 3mth(s) 7day(s) 23rd (1913 - 1917) Member for Petersham 24 Mar 1917 30 Jan 1919 1yr(s) 10mth(s) 7day(s) 24th (1917 - 1920) Member for Petersham 24 Mar 1917 30 Jan 1919 1yr(s) 10mth(s) 7day(s) Chairman of Committees 24 Oct 1907 14 Sep 1910 2yr(s) 10mth(s) 22day(s) Speaker of the Legislative Assembly 17 Apr 1917 30 Jan 1919 1yr(s) 9mth(s) 14day(s) Saywell’s Tramway and Electric Lighting Bill Committee No. 12 20 Sep 1898 23 Dec 1898 3mths 4days 18th (1898 - 1901) North Shore Bridge Bill Committee No. 15 26 Oct 1898 23 Dec 1898 1mth 28days 18th (1898 - 1901) Illawarra Harbour and Land Corporation Act Further Amendment Bill Committee No.22 2 Dec 1898 6 Dec 1898 5days 18th (1898 - 1901) Claim of Glebe Borough Council in respect of Sewerage Works Committee No.10 4 Sep 1901 9 Oct 1901 1mth 6days 19th (1901 - 1904) System of Municipal Government for Greater Sydney Committee No.9 20 Jun 1902 20 Dec 1902 6mths 1day 19th (1901 - 1904) Claim of James Ross, Pilot Boatman Committee No.18 30 Oct 1902 17 Dec 1902 1mth 18days 19th (1901 - 1904) Miners’ Accident Relief (Bulli Fund Bill) Committee No.20 28 Nov 1902 20 Dec 1902 23days 19th (1901 - 1904) Sydney Harbour Collieries (Limited) Bill Committee No.9 19 Aug 1903 10 Nov 1903 2mths 23days 19th (1901 - 1904) Standing Orders Committee No.3 21 Sep 1904 9 Nov 1904 1mth 20days 19th (1901 - 1904) Municipal District of Cowra Reduced Area Bill Committee No.8 1 Nov 1904 16 Nov 1904 16days 19th (1901 - 1904) Coraki Roman Catholic Church Trustees Enabling Bill Committee No.12 29 Nov 1904 6 Dec 1904 8days 19th (1901 - 1904) Lieutenant Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 13 Jun 1905 13 Jun 1905 1day 20th (1904 - 1907) Standing Orders Committee No.3 28 Jun 1905 9 Dec 1905 5mths 12days 20th (1904 - 1907) Moss Vale Cattle Sale-yards Bill Committee No.12 10 Aug 1905 24 Aug 1905 15days 20th (1904 - 1907) Chairman Standing Orders Committee No.3 10 Jul 1906 18 Dec 1906 5mths 9days 20th (1904 - 1907) David Berry Hospital Bill Committee No.14 22 Nov 1906 6 Dec 1906 15days 20th (1904 - 1907) The Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 2 Jul 1907 2 Jul 1907 1day 20th (1904 - 1907) Standing Orders Committee No.4 9 Jul 1907 12 Jul 1907 4days 20th (1904 - 1907) Standing Orders Committee No.2 24 Oct 1907 20 Dec 1907 1mth 27days 21st (1907 - 1910) Standing Orders Committee No.2 13 Mar 1908 11 Apr 1908 30days 21st (1907 - 1910) Standing Orders Committee No.3 5 Aug 1908 19 Dec 1908 4mths 15days 21st (1907 - 1910) Standing Orders Committee No.3 14 Jul 1909 17 Dec 1909 5mths 4days 21st (1907 - 1910) Standing Orders Committee No.3 28 Jun 1910 20 Aug 1910 1mth 24days 21st (1907 - 1910) Standing Orders Committee No.3 30 Nov 1910 23 Dec 1910 24days 22nd (1910 - 1913) Standing Orders Committee No.3 30 May 1911 1 Aug 1911 2mths 3days 22nd (1910 - 1913) Claims of Harry K.Carpenter Committee No.16 18 Jul 1911 1 Aug 1911 15days 22nd (1910 - 1913) Claims of Harry K.Carpenter Committee No.14 10 Oct 1911 22 Nov 1911 1mth 13days 22nd (1910 - 1913) Standing Orders Committee No.3 7 Aug 1912 5 Dec 1912 3mths 29days 22nd (1910 - 1913) Newcastle Iron and Steel Works Bill Committee No.11 10 Oct 1912 31 Oct 1912 22days 22nd (1910 - 1913) Standing Orders Committee No.3 6 Aug 1913 15 Oct 1913 2mths 10days 22nd (1910 - 1913) Standing Orders Committee No. 4 11 Mar 1914 18 Apr 1914 1mth 8days 23rd (1913 - 1917) Elections and Qualifications Committee No. 2 21 Jul 1914 23 Feb 1915 7mths 3days 23rd (1913 - 1917) Standing Orders Committee No. 4 22 Jul 1914 23 Feb 1915 7mths 2days 23rd (1913 - 1917) Elections and Qualifications Committee No. 2 1 Jul 1915 13 Apr 1916 9mths 13days 23rd (1913 - 1917) Standing Orders Committee No. 3 2 Jul 1915 13 Apr 1916 9mths 12days 23rd (1913 - 1917) Elections and Qualifications Committee No. 2 20 Jul 1916 21 Dec 1916 5mths 2days 23rd (1913 - 1917) Standing Orders Committee No. 4 28 Jul 1916 21 Dec 1916 4mths 24days 23rd (1913 - 1917) Church of England Trust Property Bill Committee No. 8 30 Nov 1916 21 Dec 1916 22days 23rd (1913 - 1917)

Political Party Activity

Liberal Reform Party.

Community Activity

Founder and Treasurer of of the Queensland Institute of Architects, 1888, and a life member from 1892. Honorary Member of the Institute of Architects of New South Wales. Director Hospital Saturday Fund of New South Wales, 1893-1936. Chairman of the Metropolitan Hospitals Contribution Fund. Vice-President, Red Cross Society. Founder of the University Club 1905, and Director between 1905-1917. Chairman, Kurnell Trust. Active supported of Federation. Member of the Board of Management of the Great Synagogue, 1900 until 1938, and Treasurer in 1903.

Qualifications, occupations and interests

Lawyer (barrister). Educated at Ullamarra Public School, Grafton Grammar; Calder House, Redfern. University of Sydney. Practised as a barrister when he was elected to the Legislative Assembly. B.A (lst class honours in Mathematics) in 1879, and a Master of Arts in 1881. He also received a blue for Rugby. Was articled to Norman Self, a consulting engineer and worked with Davy and Sands, Engineers. At the same time, he studied architecture at night. In 1882, he moved to Mackay in Queensland as a consulting engineer and architect. He moved to Brisbane in 1884. In 1892, he returned to Sydney and read for the Bar, to which he was admitted in 1894. Between 1919 and 1929, he was a District Court Judge.

Personal

Son of Samuel, a storekeeper and Rosetta Manser. Married Bertie, daughter of Bertram Hollander, on 12 March 1889 and had issue, 2 sons. Jewish. Estate was valued for probate at £4,824.

Additional Information

References: Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 8. H. T. E. Holt, 'A Court Rises: The Lives and Times of the Judges of the District Court of New South Wales (1859 - 1959)', Sydney, the Law Foundation of New South Wales, 1976. J. J. Cohen, 'Judge John J. Cohen - Memoirs', n.d. [c. 1940]. A copy of this booklet is in the Parliamentary Archives: PRS 81.LA: 39 - Legislative Assembly, Special Bundles, 1879 - 1991 (Item 39). The booklet appears to have been privately printed by his widow. Text from the book: 'The Presiding Officers of the Parliament of New South Wales', Sydney, 1995

He was elected to the Legislative Assembly as the Member for Petersham in 1896 on a platform in support of Federation. Cohen held the positions of Chairman of Committees from 1907 until 1910 and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1917 until 1919. He was an energetic advocate of Federation and he possessed broad mindedness and a tolerant disposition. An illustration of his tolerance was an acknowledgement of a personal apology tendered him as Speaker by a Member, saying he felt at the time that the honourable Member didn't mean it, so he would forget all about it. His controversial appointment to the District Court Bench came a day after his resignation from both Parliament and the Speakership. He died on 25 March 1939 at Woollahra, Sydney.

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