Roy Cohn


     Roy Cohn was born in the Bronx in 1927. His parents were Dora Marcus and Albert C. Cohn. He lived in his parents' house until his mother died, then he lived in D.C and Greenwich, CT. He went to Columbia College and then Columbia Law School.  After graduating from law school, Roy Cohn became a lawyer.  His most famous case was with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the red scare. The McCarhty hearings were so famous because they were TV's "first major coverage of government operations."[1]Unfortunately, Roy died of aids in 1984.

           McCarthy ruined peoples' careers by accusing them of being communists, this was especially bad because it happened around the time of the Cold War. He also, accused the Army of "coddling Communists."[2] Soon, people figured that he was making up these lists of people who were supposedly communists. Roy Cohn helped Joe prove that these people were in fact communists, he defended McCarthy against the Army as his chief council. He was chosen for the job over Robert Kennedy and was known for his aggressive questioning.[3] The Army then charged McCarthy of improper conduct.  The case finally ended when Joseph Welch (the Army's lawyer) and McCarthy clashed in an emotional argument.[4]  Joseph McCarthy was then found guilty. After the hearings, McCarthy was condemned by the Senate and lost the support of millions. Cohn, then was an attorney in New York City. Some of his famous clients were Donald Trump, Tony Salerno, Carmine Galente, and John Gotti. All thoug Roy Cohn lived a fairly short life, it was very successful.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                   Roy Cohn (left) and Joseph McCarthy (right)

Footnotes

  1. http://popculture.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1510883?terms=Roy+Cohn
  2. http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar549980&st=joseph+mccarthy
  3. http://www.ask.com/wiki/Roy_Cohn
  4. http://www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar549980&st=mccarthy+hearings