Roy Cohn

Roy Marcus Cohn (February 20, 1927 – August 2, 1986) was an American lawyer who rose to prominence as a federal prosecutor in the espionage trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, securing their conviction and execution for transmitting atomic secrets to the Soviet Union during the early Cold War. Appointed chief counsel to U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy's Senate subcommittee on investigations in 1953, Cohn played a central role in probing alleged communist infiltration of the U.S. government and military, employing aggressive interrogation tactics that intensified the Second Red Scare but contributed to McCarthy's eventual censure by the Senate. In private practice after 1954, Cohn built a high-profile New York law firm representing organized crime figures, real estate developers, and celebrities, while wielding influence as a political fixer through connections in both parties; he notably mentored Donald Trump starting in the 1970s, advising him on countering a federal housing discrimination lawsuit by aggressive litigation and public denial, principles Trump later applied in business and politics.

Cohn's career was defined by his unyielding combativeness and willingness to exploit legal and media pressures, earning him loyalty from clients but enmity from adversaries who viewed his methods as unethical. Facing multiple investigations, he was disbarred in June 1986 for defrauding a dying client of $100,000 by misappropriating trust funds, among other professional misconduct charges, just weeks before his death. Cohn, who maintained a closeted homosexual lifestyle amid the era's stigmas, succumbed to AIDS-related complications at age 59, publicly insisting to the end that he suffered from liver cancer rather than acknowledging the disease despite evident symptoms and treatment.

Roy Cohn was born on February 20, 1927, at Woman's Hospital in Manhattan, New York City, as the only child of Albert C. Cohn and Dora Marcus Cohn. His parents were part of New York's Jewish elite; his father, Albert Cohn (1885–1959), served as a justice on the New York State Supreme Court and held significant influence within the Democratic Party, including roles in Tammany Hall politics. Albert had married Dora in 1924, integrating into her family's established wealth from banking interests on the Marcus side.

Raised in a privileged environment amid the economic turbulence of the Great Depression, Cohn experienced a sheltered childhood in Manhattan, doted on by his mother, who exerted strong influence over his early years. The family's Jewish heritage shaped his upbringing, though specific details of religious observance remain limited in primary accounts. This background immersed young Cohn in worlds of law, politics, and commerce from an early age, fostering his precocious interest in power dynamics.