William Cohen
| Bill Cohen | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 20th United States Secretary of Defense | |
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In office January 24, 1997 – January 20, 2001 |
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| President | Bill Clinton |
| Deputy |
John Hamre Rudy de Leon |
| Preceded by | William Perry |
| Succeeded by | Donald Rumsfeld |
| Chairman of the Senate Aging Committee | |
|
In office January 4, 1995 – January 3, 1997 |
|
| Preceded by | David Pryor |
| Succeeded by | Chuck Grassley |
| Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee | |
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In office January 5, 1981 – January 3, 1983 |
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| Preceded by | John Melcher |
| Succeeded by | Mark Andrews |
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United States Senator from Maine |
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In office January 3, 1979 – January 3, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Hathaway |
| Succeeded by | Susan Collins |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maine's 2nd district |
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In office January 3, 1973 – January 3, 1979 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Hathaway |
| Succeeded by | Olympia Snowe |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
William Sebastian Cohen August 28, 1940 Bangor, Maine, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Diana Dunn (divorced 1987) Janet Langhart (1996–present) |
| Alma mater |
Bowdoin College Boston University |
| Religion | Unitarian Universalism |
William Sebastian Cohen (born August 28, 1940) is an American politician and author from the U.S. state of Maine. A Republican, Cohen served as both a member of the United States House of Representatives and Senate, and as Secretary of Defense (1997–2001) under Democratic President Bill Clinton.
Cohen was born in Bangor, Maine. His mother, Clara (née Hartley), was of Protestant Irish ancestry, and his father, Reuben Cohen, was a Russian Jewish immigrant; the two owned the Bangor Rye Bread Co.
After graduating from Bangor High School in 1958, Cohen attended Bowdoin College, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin in 1962. While a student at Bowdoin, Cohen was initiated as a brother of the Kappa chapter of the Psi Upsilon Fraternity.
While in high school and college, Cohen was a basketball player and was named to the Maine all-state high school and college basketball team, and at Bowdoin was inducted into the New England All-Star Hall of Fame. Cohen attended law school at the Boston University School of Law, graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree cum laude in 1965.
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