Stephen Cohen

Democrat Representative of Tennessee's 9th district

  • Representative

    Tennessee, district 9

    January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2025

202-225-3265

@RepCohen

cohen.house.gov

9

Congresses Served

9

House Terms

May 24, 1949 (75 years old)

Birthday

  • Served as the U.S. representative for Tennessee's 9th congressional district since 2007
  • First Jewish congressman from Tennessee and the dean of the state's congressional delegation as of 2023
  • Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee; a fourth-generation Memphian with Jewish immigrant grandparents from Lithuania and Poland
  • Contracted polio at age five, which shifted his focus from sports to politics
  • Attended Vanderbilt University and the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law
  • Began his political career as a legal advisor for the Memphis Police Department, then served as a commissioner on the Shelby County Commission and as an interim judge
  • Served in the Tennessee Senate for 24 years, where he worked to repeal the ban on lotteries, resulting in the creation of a state lottery program for college scholarships
  • Ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 but won the seat in 2006
  • Known for his progressive stance on various issues, including healthcare, gun control, energy, environment, and cannabis legalization
  • Criticized the removal of the graphic novel "Maus" from a school curriculum in Tennessee
  • Supports raising Senate salaries, extending unemployment benefits, and opposes privatizing Social Security
  • Advocated for alternative energy sources, environmental conservation, and public transportation expansion
  • Opposed the Iraq War and sponsored legislation to reduce infrastructure funding to Afghanistan
  • Co-authored the National Guard & Reservist Debt Relief Extension Act
  • Recommended judicial nominees to President Obama as there were no Democratic U.S. Senators from Tennessee at the time
  • Sponsored and co-sponsored numerous bills, including efforts to legalize cannabis and government reform measures
  • Boycotted the speech of the Prime Minister of Israel to Congress in 2015, citing opposition to foreign leaders opposing U.S. foreign policy
  • Involved in impeachment matters, including voting for the impeachment of President Donald Trump and introducing a resolution for the impeachment of Attorney General William Barr
  • Criticized for comparing Republican efforts to repeal healthcare reform to Goebbels and the Holocaust, later expressing regret for the remarks
  • Known for his media appearances and active engagement on social media platforms