Sheldon Stanley Cohen (June 28, 1927 – September 4, 2018) was an American attorney who served as the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue from 1965 to 1969.
Background
Cohen was born in
Washington, D.C., the son of a Lithuanian immigrant.
He went to the District of Columbia public schools and served in the
United States Navy during
World War II. He received his law degree from the
George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...
and practiced law in Washington, D.C. He was involved with the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
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and served as the general counsel to the Democratic National Committee.
Commissioner of the IRS
In 1965 Cohen became the youngest ever
Commissioner of Internal Revenue. He helped the IRS become fully computerized.
Writing in 1968,
John Brooks described him as "a man with close-cropped brown hair, candid eyes, and a guileless manner" who was "less gregarious and more reflective" than his predecessor
Mortimer Caplin
Mortimer Maxwell Caplin (July 11, 1916 – July 15, 2019) was an American lawyer and educator, and the founding member of Caplin & Drysdale, Chartered.
Early life
Caplin was born in New York City, the son of Lillian (Epstein) and Daniel Caplin ...
.
Death
He died of heart failure on September 4, 2018, in
Chevy Chase, Maryland
Chevy Chase () is the name of both a town and an unincorporated census-designated place (Chevy Chase (CDP), Maryland) that straddle the northwest border of Washington, D.C. and Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Several settlements in th ...
at age 91.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Sheldon S.
1927 births
2018 deaths
Lawyers from Washington, D.C.
Military personnel from Washington, D.C.
George Washington University Law School alumni
Commissioners of Internal Revenue
Maryland Democrats
American people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent