Mendes I. Cohen

Mendes Israel Cohen (1796–1879) was a Jewish American politician, soldier, traveler and businessman who lived in Baltimore, Maryland.

Early life Cohen was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1796, one of nine children of Israel I. Cohen and Judith Solomon Cohen. The family moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1803. As a young man he worked in the family businesses: Cohen's Lottery and Exchange, and Jacob I. Cohen, Jr. and Brothers Banking House. The Cohens' lottery raised money to help finance construction of Baltimore’s Washington Monument in Mount Vernon. In 1821, they and their lottery were the subject of a Supreme Court lawsuit Cohens v. Virginia, asserting the federal government’s right to review and overturn state Supreme Court decisions.

Military service In the War of 1812, Cohen and his brothers Philip and Jacob joined a volunteer company charged with defending Baltimore–Nicholson’s Artillery Fencibles—serving under Captain Joseph H. Nicholson. He participated in the Battle of Baltimore.

World travel In 1829, Cohen retired from the family business a wealthy man and traveled the world collecting artifacts. He visited England, Russia, Turkey, Jerusalem, Egypt, and most of the countries in Central and Western Europe. He was said to be the first American to tour the Nile Valley. He was elected to the House of Delegates from Baltimore City in 1847 and served a single term. He was the first Jewish member of the Maryland General Assembly and serves as a trustee to the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. His portrait was painted by Joseph Wood (1818) and Rembrandt Peale (1838). The Jewish Museum of Maryland created an exhibit about his life in 2015.