Birth and Childhood:
Stephen Ira Cohen was born on May 24, 1949 in Memphis. His father was a pediatrician. When he was five years old, Cohen contracted polio which he eventually overcame. During his adolescence, the Cohen family moved first to Florida and then to California before returning to Memphis.
Education and Early Career:
Having political aspirations already, Cohen attended Vanderbilt University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971. In 1973 he received his Juris Doctor degree from The University of Memphis School of Law. He soon began working as a legal advisor for the Memphis Police Department.
Political Career:
Cohen had his first political success when he was elected to the Tennessee Constitutional Convention in 1977. He then served as a Shelby County Commissioner from 1978-1980 and as an interim judge for Shelby County General Sessions Court in 1980. From 1982 to 2006, Cohen served as a Tennessee State Senator. In 2006 he won the historic election that put him in Tennessee's 9th District U.S. Congress seat. He won reelection in 2008.
