Cohen, Benjamin V. 1894-1983

LAWYER, NEW DEAL INSIDER

The New Dealer.

Few administrations have ever spawned as much legislation as did that of President Roosevelt, and fewer yet could claim to have had as many of its proposals enacted because of the drafting skills of a single person. Benjamin V. Cohen's fame as the New Deal's most brilliant and tireless legal craftsman and adviser spread well beyond the inner circles of the Roosevelt administration. Originally induced by his mentor, then-Harvard professor Felix Frankfurter, to employ his considerable skills in the service of the New Deal, he found himself prevailed upon to stay, lending his legal talents and analytical mind to many, such as Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes and Sen. William Borah of Idaho, who found them indispensable. Identified variously as a "brain truster," an enigma, one-half (with his roommate Thomas Corcoran) of the "Gold Dust Twins," the extent of his...

[The entire page is 751 words long]

Join eNotes

The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:

eNotes Pass