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Cohn, Léon

The 1901 Jewish Encyclopedia

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French statesman; born in Paris March 11, 1849; second son of Albert Cohn. His early training was received at the Lycée Bonaparte in Paris. In 1866 he took the degree of "bachelier ès lettres," and three years later that of "licencié en droit." Though admitted to the bar, he soon abandoned the legal profession for a political career. In 1870 he was chosen as private secretary by Jules Simon, then minister of public instruction. On Jules Simon's retirement from public life Cohn became the editor of the "Correspondance Républicaine."

In 1876, when the cabinet of Jules Simon was reconstructed, Cohn returned to office as his "chef de cabinet," a position which he held until the dismissal of the Republican ministry by President MacMahon, May 16, 1877.

On the return of the Republicans to power, in Dec., 1877, Cohn was appointed prefect of the department of Loire-et-Cher, and afterward occupied a similar position in the departments of Somme, Haute-Garonne, and Loire. In 1896 he became paymaster-general of the department of Ardennes, from which he was transferred a few years later to the department of Eure.