Roy Cohn Biography

Roy Marcus Cohn was born on February 20, 1927, into a strict Jewish family in The Bronx, New York City, U.S.A.

He was the grandnephew of Joshua Lionel Cowen, a renowned inventor and the founder of ‘Lionel Corporation.’

He was the only child of his parents, Dora (nee Marcus) and Judge Albert C. Cohn.

He attended two major Ivy preparatory schools: the ‘Horace Mann School’ in The Bronx and the ‘Fieldston School’ in New York City. He attended the ‘Columbia College’ on the main campus of the ‘Columbia University’ in Manhattan, New York City. At the age of 20, he graduated from ‘Columbia Law School,’ the professional graduate school of ‘Columbia University.’

Roy Cohn was admitted to the bar on May 27, 1948. He leveraged his family’s influence to work with the then-U.S. attorney, Irving Saypol, in Manhattan.

One of the earliest cases assigned to him was the prosecution of communist party leaders under the ‘Smith Act.’ He succeeded in convicting 11 of them.

In 1948, he became a board member of the ‘American Jewish League Against Communism.’

In 1950, he secured the indictment of William Remington for perjury.

He was instrumental in the conviction of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for spying on the U.S. government.

His role in the Rosenberg trial was noticed by J. Edgar Hoover, who referred him to Joseph McCarthy.

Between 1951 and 1954, Roy Cohn worked with McCarthy to investigate many suspected communists. They also claimed that foreign communists had compelled closeted homosexuals working with the U.S. government to spy on their behalf, in exchange for keeping their sexuality secret. Their theories even convinced U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower to sign a decree to bar homosexuals from working with the federal government.

Even prominent cultural figures were targeted by Cohn and McCarthy for their sexuality. They also blackmailed several opponents by threatening to divulge their sexual orientation.

However, the Army–McCarthy hearings led to the downfall of the team of McCarthy and Cohn. Cohn resigned from his position in 1954 and began private practice.

He had a flourishing career as an attorney. He counseled influential politicians such as Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan business magnates such as George Steinbrenner and Aristotle Onassis; members of the mafia such as Tony Salerno, Carmine Galante, and John Gotti; and religious organizations such as the ‘Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.’

He became Donald Trump’s attorney in 1973 and also worked as a mentor. They worked together until 1985.

Roy Cohn introduced his client Rupert Murdoch, a world-renowned media mogul, to Trump.

In the 1970s and the 1980s, he was investigated by the federal authorities, but they could not prove the charges of unprofessional conduct leveled against him.

In 1986, he was disbarred for unethical practices and professional misconduct, including coercing his client to alter his will.

Roy Cohn, along with a group of investors, bought 200,000 of about 700,00 shares of ‘Lionel Corporation’ from founder Joshua Lionel Cowen and his son, Lawrence Cowen.

However, Cohn failed to steer the company in the right direction leading to losses. He was compelled to quit in 1963.

Roy Cohn lost his mother when he was 40. He was extremely attached to her.

It was rumored that Cohn was gay and had had a sexual relationship with his colleague G. David Schine. However, Cohn vehemently denied both these claims. Nevertheless, there were strong indications that he was a closeted homosexual.

In 1984, after he was diagnosed with AIDS, Cohn tried his best to keep it a secret. He also undertook experimental drug treatment and participated in clinical trials of ‘AZT.’

He desperately wanted to maintain that he was suffering from liver cancer, and not AIDS, even to the last day.

He died due to complications resulting due to AIDS on August 2, 1986, in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A, at the age of 59.

He was interred in the ‘Union Field Cemetery’ in Queens, New York.

Roy Cohn had written quite a few books, the first of them being ‘Only a Miracle Can Save America from the Red Conspiracy,’ published in 1954.

Almost 14 years later, in 1968, he released ‘McCarthy.’

In 1972, he published ‘A Fool for a Client: My Struggle Against the Power of a Public Prosecutor.’

After 5 years, in 1977, he authored ‘McCarthy: The Answer to Tail Gunner Joe.’

He released ‘How to Stand Up for Your Rights and Win!’ in 1981.

The following year, his book ‘Outlaws of Amerika’ The Weather Underground’ was released.

In 1986, he wrote ‘Roy Cohn on Divorce: Words to the Wise and Not So Wise.’

‘The Autobiography of Roy Cohn,’ co-authored by Sidney Zion, was posthumously published on March 1, 1988.

A biography titled ‘The Life and Times of Roy Cohn: Citizen Cohn,’ written by Nicholas Von Hoffman, was published on March 1, 1988.

He was included as a character in Tony Kushner’s revolutionary 1991 ‘Broadway’ play ‘Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes.’ Eleven years later, the play was adapted into a miniseries of the same title by ‘HBO.’ The play was revived later by other productions.

The TV movie ‘Citizen Cohn,’ released in 1992, featured James Woods as Cohn.

A one-person show by Ron Vawter, titled ‘Roy Cohn/Jack Smith,’ became quite popular in the early 1990s. Gary Indiana wrote the part of Roy Cohn.

Two documentaries on Cohn, ‘Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn’ and ‘Where’s My Roy Cohn?,’ where released in 2019. The former was directed by Ivy Meeropol, granddaughter of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.