Roy Marcus Cohn (February 20, 1927 – August 2, 1986) was an American lawyer who came to prominence during the investigations by Senator Joseph McCarthy into Communism in the government and especially during the Army-McCarthy Hearings. While widely unpopular during his lifetime, he nonetheless wielded tremendous political power at times. Cohn was a member of the Democratic Party but was widely considered a "Democrat In Name Only" (DINO), as he supported most of the Republican presidents of his time and Republicans in major seats across New York. February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... British barrister 16th century painting of a civil law notary, by Flemish painter Quentin Massys. ... Joseph Raymond McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908–May 2, 1957) was a Republican Senator from the U.S. state of Wisconsin between 1947 and 1957. ... This article is about communism as a form of society and as a political movement. ... Early in 1954, the U.S. Army accused Senator Joseph R. McCarthy (Republican, Wisconsin), and his chief counsel, Roy Cohn, of pressuring the Army to give favorable treatment to former McCarthy aide and friend of Cohns, G. David Schine. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ... Dino (pronounced DEEN-oh) can refer to: a Japanese professional wrestler who uses the name Danshoku Dino a dinosaur; a singer of that name from the late 1980s; a junior singer, Dino Jelusic, from Croatia; the fictional pet dinosaur of The Flintstones, voiced (actually barked, like a dog) by Mel... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ...

Early life

Born in Queens, New York, Cohn was the only child of Albert Cohn, a New York judge who was influential in Democratic Party politics, and Dora Marcus Cohn. He lived with his parents until his mother's death in 1969, after which he lived in New York, the District of Columbia, and Greenwich, Connecticut. Queens is geographically the largest of the five boroughs of New York City in the United States, and the most ethnically diverse county in the U.S. It is coterminous with Queens County in the State of New York and is located on western Long Island. ... ... Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. ...

Cohn graduated from Columbia Law School at the age of 20, and began working for the office of United States Attorney Irving Saypol in Manhattan, a position many have attributed to his politically connected father. Columbia Law School (CLS), located in New York City, is one of the professional schools of Columbia University and one of the leading law schools in the United States. ... United States Attorneys represent the U.S. federal government in United States district court. ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ...

Anti-Communist investigations

As Saypol's assistant at the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan, Cohn helped to win a number of high-profile anti-Communist cases. He was known for his zealous prosecution of William Remington (a former Commerce Department employee convicted of perjury relating to his membership in the Communist Party), for the prosecution of eleven Communist Party leaders for sedition under the Smith Act, and for his work in the Alger Hiss case. But Cohn was most famous for his prominent role in the 1951 espionage trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Cohn's cross-examination of Ethel's brother produced the testimony (later found to be perjured) that was mostly responsible for the Rosenbergs' conviction and execution. William Remington with Soviet Spy Elizabeth Bentley William Walter Remington (October 25, 1917 - November 24, 1954) was a U.S. economist and civil servant whom the Venona transcripts confirm was a spy for Soviet Union[1]; he was later convicted on perjury charges. ... The United States Department of Commerce is a Cabinet department of the United States government concerned with promoting economic growth. ... Perjury is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law or in any of various sworn statements in writing. ... In modern usage, a communist party is a political party which promotes communism, the sociopolitical philosophy based on Marxism. ... Sedition is a deprecated term of law to refer to covert conduct such as speech and organization that is deemed by the legal authority as tending toward insurrection against the established order. ... The Alien Registration Act or Smith Act (18 USC 2385) of 1940 made it a criminal offense for anyone to knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise, or teach the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing the Government of the United States or of any State by force or violence... Alger Hiss (November 11, 1904 – November 15, 1996) was a U.S. State Department official and involved in the early United Nations. ... Espionage is the practice of obtaining information about an organization or a society that is considered secret or confidential (spying) without the permission of the holder of the information. ... The Rosenbergs Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg (1915-1953) and Julius Rosenberg (1918-1953) were American Communists who captured and maintained world attention after being tried, convicted, and executed for spying for the Soviet Union. ... The Rosenbergs Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg (1915-1953) and Julius Rosenberg (1918-1953) were American Communists who captured and maintained world attention after being tried, convicted, and executed for spying for the Soviet Union. ... In law, cross-examination is the interrogation of a witness called by ones opponent. ...

Cohn took great pride in the Rosenberg case, and claimed to have played an even greater part than his public role: he said in his autobiography that his own influence had led to both Saypol and Judge Irving Kaufman (a family friend) being appointed to the case, and that Kaufman had imposed the death penalty on Cohn's personal advice. An Autobiography is an account of a persons life written by that person For music albums named Autobiography, see Autobiography (album) An autobiography (from the Greek auton, self, bios, life and graphein, write) is a biography written by the subject or composed conjointly with a collaborative writer (styled as... Irving Robert Kaufman (June 24, 1910 - February 1, 1992) was the judge who presided over the trial of Ethel Rosenberg. ... Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the State as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offenses. ...

The Rosenberg trial brought the 24-year-old Cohn to the attention of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, who recommended him to McCarthy. He soon became McCarthy's chief counsel — chosen over Robert Kennedy — and gained power nearly equal to McCarthy's in the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, becoming known for his aggressive questioning of suspected Communists. After his appointment, Cohn continued to perform as if he were a prosecutor rather than grand jury. Cohn tended to be uninclined to hold the hearing in open forums. This mixed well with McCarthy's preference for holding "executive sessions" and "off-the-record" sessions far away from the Capitol in order to minimize public scrutiny and to question witnesses with relative impunity. Cohn, although sometimes thought to have been chosen in part to avoid accusations of an anti-semitic motivation for the investigations, was given free rein in pursuit of investigations. McCarthy would come to admit in regard to Cohn, however, that "putting a young man in charge of other men doesn't work out too well." The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a Federal police force which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... Hoover in 1961 John Edgar Hoover KBE (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was the founder of the FBI in its present form and its director from May 10, 1924 until his death in 1972. ... Robert Kennedy Robert Francis Bobby Kennedy, also called RFK (November 20, 1925–June 6, 1968) was the younger brother of President John F. Kennedy, and was appointed by his brother as Attorney General for his administration. ... A senate is a deliberative body, often the upper house or chamber of a legislature. ... The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is currently chaired by Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN), with Carl Levin (D-MI) as a ranking member. ... A grand jury is a type of common law jury responsible for investigating alleged crimes, examining evidence, and issuing indictments if they believe that there is enough evidence for a trial to proceed. ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ...

McCarthy arranged for Cohn's friend, G. David Schine, to be given leave from the Army to serve on the subcommittee; this fueled clashes with the Army, which later contributed to McCarthy's public discrediting. After McCarthy was censured in 1954, Cohn resigned and went into private practice. Gerard David Schine, better known as G. David Schine (September 11, 1927 – June 19, 1996), was thrown into the spotlight in his mid-twenties when he directed special government investigations with Roy Cohn for Senator Joseph McCarthy from 1952 to 1953, which led to getting embroiled in a controversy with... Censure is a process by which a formal reprimand is issued to an individual by an authoritative body. ...

When the NBC television network produced a movie in the early 1980s about McCarthy's career, Tailgunner Joe, Cohn responded by writing a paperback book criticizing the movie for factual errors and defending McCarthy's anti-Communist crusade. NBC, (Formerly an acronym for the National Broadcasting Company until 2004), is an American television and radio network based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... A television network is a distribution network for television content whereby a central operation provides programming for many television stations. ...

Later career

After leaving McCarthy, Cohn built a 30-year career as a high-powered attorney in New York City. His clients included Donald Trump, Mafia figures Tony Salerno and John Gotti, Studio 54 owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, and the Archdiocese of New York. He was known for his active social life, charitable giving, and combative personality. He maintained close ties with conservative politics, serving as an informal advisor to Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. An attorney is someone who represents someone else in the transaction of business: For attorney-at-law, see lawyer, solicitor, barrister or civil law notary. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Big Apple Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,214. ... Donald John Trump, Sr. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... John Gotti (1940-2002) For other uses, see John Gotti (disambiguation). ... The original Studio 54 logo. ... The tone of this article is inappropriate for an encyclopedia. ... Image:Ianschrager. ... In some Christian churches, the diocese is an administrative territorial unit governed by a bishop, sometimes also referred to as a bishopric or episcopal see, though more often the term episcopal see means the office held by the bishop. ... Allegorical personification of Charity as a mother with three infants by Anthony van Dyck Charity, meaning selfless giving, is one conventional English translation of the Greek term agapÄ“. // Etymology In the 1400, charity meant the state of love or simple affection which one was in or out of regarding one... Conservatism or political conservatism is any of several historically related political philosophies or political ideologies. ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... Ronald Wilson Reagan, Hon GCB, (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981–1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967–1975). ...

Cohn was the grandnephew of Joshua Lionel Cowen, founder of the Lionel model train company. By 1959, Cowen and his son Lawrence had become involved in a family dispute over control of the company. Cohn and a group of investors stepped in and bought the majority of both of the Cowens' shares of stock, thus gaining control of the company. Under Cohn's leadership, Lionel was plagued by declining sales, quality control problems, and huge financial losses. In 1963, he was forced to resign from the company. Joshua Lionel Cowen (August 25, 1877-1965), born Joshua Lionel Cohen, was an American inventor and the cofounder of Lionel Corporation, a manufacturer of model railroads and toy trains. ... Lionel Corporation was an American toy manufacturer, specializing in toy trains and model railroads. ...

Federal investigations in the 1970s and 1980s charged Cohn three times with professional misconduct, including perjury and witness tampering, and he was accused in New York of financial improprieties related to city contracts and private investments. He was never convicted. In 1986, a five-judge panel of the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court disbarred Cohn for unethical and unprofessional conduct, including misappropriation of clients' funds, pressuring a client to amend his will, and lying on a bar application. He lost his license to practice during the last month of his life. Talking to a witness, hoping for them to lie about what really happened ... The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court is the intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of New York. ... In the common law, a will or testament is a document by which a person (the testator) regulates the rights of others over his property or family after death. ...

Private life and death

Rumors of Cohn's homosexuality began to spread throughout Washington shortly after he was appointed chief counsel to the Government Committee on Operations. When he brought on the wealthy and handsome Schine as chief consultant, it made for good gossip fodder. It became widely debated whether Schine and Cohn had a sexual relationship [1][2][3](See Ted Morgan, Reds). The word homosexuality has acquired multiple meanings over time. ... Flag Seal Nickname: DC, The District Motto: Justitia Omnibus (Justice for All) Location Location of Washington, D.C., with regard to the surrounding states of Maryland and Virginia. ...

Cohn's homosexuality was an open secret during most of his career. His public response to all questions on this subject was sometimes evasive and sometimes a flat denial; he encouraged rumors of a relationship with his longtime friend Barbara Walters, who publicly stated that she thought he was heterosexual. Though his closeted sexuality was far from unusual at the time, it was arguably in tension with his public life in right-wing politics. Cohn and McCarthy targeted many government officials and cultural figures not only for suspected Communist sympathies but for homosexual tendencies, sometimes using sexual secrets as a blackmail tool to gain informants. McCarthy may not have known Cohn was gay, but it may have been alluded to during the Army-McCarthy hearings by Army attorney Joseph Welch when Cohn produced a photo as evidence and Welch asked McCarthy if the photo came from "a pixie ... a close relative of a fairy." Barbara Ann Walters (born September 25, 1929 (see)) is an American media personality (early 60s to present) first known as a popular TV morning news anchor for over 10 years on NBCs Today show, where she worked well with anchors Hugh Downs and Frank McGee. ... Heterosexuality is a sexual orientation characterized by esthetic attraction, romantic love or sexual desire exclusively for members of the opposite sex or gender, contrasted with homosexuality and distinguished from bisexuality and asexuality. ... The expression being in the closet has been used to describe keeping secret ones sexual behavior or orientation, most commonly homosexuality or bisexuality, but also including transgender and transsexual people, paedophiles, and pederasts. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply the right, are terms which refer, with no particular precision, to the segment of the political spectrum in opposition to left-wing politics. ... Blackmail - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Joseph Nye Welch (October 22, 1890 – October 6, 1960) was the head attorney for the United States Army while it was under investigation by Joseph McCarthys Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations for Communist activities. ... Pixies are mythical creatures of English folklore, considered to be particularly concentrated in the areas around Devon and Cornwall. ... by Sophie Anderson A fairy, or faerie, is a spirit or supernatural being that is found in the legends, folklore, and mythology of many different cultures. ...

In the 1970s, no longer a national figure, Cohn frequented gay bars semi-openly, but still denied that he was gay, and lent his support to anti-gay political campaigns. During debates over New York City's first gay rights law, he said homosexuals should not be allowed to be schoolteachers. A gay bar is a drinking establishment which caters primarily to a gay or lesbian clientele. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Big Apple Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,214. ... The gay rights movement is a collection of loosely aligned civil rights groups, human rights groups, support groups and political activists seeking acceptance, tolerance and equality for non-heterosexual, (homosexual, bisexual), and transgender people - despite the fact that it is typically referred to as the gay rights movement, members also...

In 1984, he was diagnosed with AIDS, and attempted to keep his condition secret while receiving aggressive drug treatment. He insisted to his dying day that his disease was liver cancer. Cohn never spoke publicly about AIDS but, according to his friends, he claimed to have used his political influence to increase the government's investment in AIDS research. The Red ribbon is a symbol for solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome or Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections in humans resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by infection with... Hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver (medical terms pertaining to the liver often start in hepato- or hepatic from the Greek word for liver, hepar). ...

He died on August 2, 1986, of complications from AIDS at the age of 59. He is buried in Queens, New York. August 2 is the 214th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (215th in leap years), with 151 days remaining. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

While most conservative political figures have preferred to distance themselves from the legacy of McCarthyism, some have defended McCarthy and Cohn's anti-Communist crusade, most notably conservative pundit Ann Coulter in her book Treason. Sen. ... Ann Coulter on the cover of her book Slander Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Ann Coulter Ann Hart Coulter (born December 8, 1961) is a controversial American syndicated columnist, author, attorney, former litigator with the Center For Individual Rights, and relentlessly combative[1] conservative pundit who frequently...

Fictional portrayals

A dramatic, controversial man in life, Cohn inspired many dramatic fictional portrayals after his death. Probably the most famous is his role in Tony Kushner's Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, in which the (fictionalized) Cohn is portrayed as an amoral, power-hungry hypocrite who vigorously denies his sexuality, while being haunted by the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg as he lay dying. In the 2003 HBO version of Kushner's play, Cohn is played by Al Pacino. Kushner would again write about Cohn in a one-act play, G. David Schine in Hell. Tony Kushner (born July 16, 1956) is an award-winning American playwright most famous for his play Angels in America. ... Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes is a play in two parts by American playwright Tony Kushner. ... A manufactured image of a ghostly woman ascending a staircase A ghost is an alleged non-corporeal manifestation of a dead person (or, rarely, an animal or a vehicle). ... The Rosenbergs Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg (1915-1953) and Julius Rosenberg (1918-1953) were American Communists who captured and maintained world attention after being tried, convicted, and executed for spying for the Soviet Union. ... HBO (Home Box Office) is a premium cable television network with headquarters in New York City. ... Al Pacino (right) with Robert Duvall in The Godfather. ...

Cohn has also been portrayed by James Woods in the 1992 biopic Citizen Cohn, and by Joe Pantoliano in Robert Kennedy and His Times. James Woods James Howard Woods (born April 18, 1947) is an Oscar-nominated American actor. ... A biographical film or biopic is a film about a particular person or group of people, based on events that actually happened. ... Citizen Cohn is the 1992 cable movie covering the life of controversial Joseph McCarthy supporter Roy Cohn. ... Joe Pantoliano (born September 12, 1951) is an Italian-American actor. ...

Cohn is portrayed in an episode of The X-Files, in which an elderly former FBI agent (Darren McGavin) speaks to Agent Mulder about the early years of the McCarthy era and the beginning of the X-Files. The X-Files is a popular American television series created by Chris Carter. ... The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the federal criminal investigative and intelligence agency, which is the principal investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... Fox William Spooky Mulder (born October 13, 1961) is a fictional character played by David Duchovny on the 1993-2002 television series, The X-Files. ...

In the early 1990's Cohn was also one of two subjects of The Wooster Group's Ron Vawter's one man show Roy Cohn/Jack Smith. The Wooster Group is an ensemble of artists who collaborate on the development and production of theatre and media pieces. ... Ron Vawter (December 9, 1948–April 16, 1994) was a founding member of The Wooster Group. ...

Kurt Vonnegut included a fictionalized Roy M. Cohn in his 1979 novel Jailbird. Vonnegut used Cohn with his verbal permission, promising to "do him no harm and to present him as an appallingly effective attorney for either the prosecution or the defense of anyone," according to the introduction of the novel. Kurt Vonnegut Kurt Vonnegut Jr. ... Jailbird is Kurt Vonneguts 1979 fictional novel about a man recently released from a low security prison. ...

The Blue-Haired Lawyer in The Simpsons is acknowledged by the show's writers and producers as a parody of Roy Cohn. The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox network. ...

Cohn is mentioned in Billy Joel's history-themed song "We Didn't Start the Fire". This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... We Didnt Start the Fire is a song by Billy Joel which chronicles 120 well-known events, people, things, and places widely noted during his lifetime, from 1949 to 1989, when the song was released on his album Storm Front. ...

External links

• Find-A-Grave profile for Roy Cohn