William S. Cohen

1940 - Present. William Cohen was born in Bangor, Maine and studied at Bowdoin College. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1973 where he served until his election to the U.S. Senate in 1979. Just a few of Cohen's accomplishments while serving as a Senator for Maine included sponsorship of the GI Bill of 1984 and his co-authoring of the Oversight Reform Act of 1991. Cohen's achievements were recognized by President Clinton in 1996 when he nominated him for the Secretary of Defense position. After confirmation by the Senate, William Cohen was sworn in as the nation's 20th Secretary of Defense in 1997. He is a published author of several works of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry; earned degrees in classical Latin and Greek and is an accomplished athlete.

For more information visit http://www.library.umaine.edu/cohen/

 

 

 

Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense