Judge Aaron Cohn Papers (MC 308)

Biographical Note

Aaron Cohn, the middle child of San and Etta Hirsh Cohn, was born in Columbus, Georgia March 3, 1916 and died on the 4th of July 2012. He graduated from Columbus High School in 1932, the University of Georgia Lumpkin School of Law in 1938 and was admitted to the Bar in the same year. He was commissioned into the U. S. Cavalry in 1937 as a 2nd Lieutenant. At the University of Georgia he was Vice President of the Inter-fraternity Council, Blue Key Honorary Society, Scabbard and Blade Military Society, Captain of the Tennis Team, as well as being an unpaid coach for the freshman team.

He volunteered for the U.S. Army in the summer of 1940, entering as a lieutenant and serving until 1946, reaching the rank of Lieutenant Colonel of the Cavalry. He continued to serve in the reserves. During the war, he was the a Combat Operations Officer of the 3rd U.S. Cavalry in General Patton's Army in the European campaigns of Northern France, Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe. In 1982, he was honored by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Commission as an Official Liberator of the Concentration Camp at Ebensee, Austria in 1945.

He married Janet Ann Lilienthal (1921-2011) on June 19, 1941, and they had three children.

Judge Cohn resumed the practice of law in 1946. He was appointed Judge of Juvenile Court of Columbus/Muscogee County, Georgia on January 1, 1965, and served in that position for 44 years. He and his wife are buried at Riverdale Cemetery.

Scope and Content

This collection consists of one box of materials related to Judge Cohn and his judicial career in Columbus, Georgia as well as some material on his experiences in World War II.

1930s-2000s 1 box (.33 l.f.)

Permission to Publish

Permission to publish material from the Judge Aaron Cohn Papers must be obtained from the Columbus State University Archives at Columbus State University. Use of the following credit line for publication or exhibit is required:

Judge Aaron Cohn Papers (MC 308) Columbus State University Archives Columbus, Georgia

Provenance

This papers were a gift of the heirs of Judge Aaron Cohn in 2013.

Note to Researchers

The bulk of his papers were donated to the University of Georgia.

Box and Folder/Item List

Box 1

• Folder 1 - Biographical Material, n.d.
  • This is a single sheet of biographical information.
• Folder 2 - Brochures, invitations, photos, etc., 1990s-2000s
• Folder 3 - Diplomas, Certificates, etc., 1932-2005
• Folder 4 - Letters to his wife, 1941 and n.d.
  • There are two letters in this folder..
• Folder 5 - Newspaper clippings, Magazine articles, 1995-2009
• Folder 6 - Photograph Album (Alice Gail), 1940s
• Folder 7 - Photographs, 1940s (?)
• Item 8 - Scrapbook of military experiences in World War II, 1940s
  • This scrapbook contains photos, maps and clippings about his experiences fighting across Germany and participating in the liberation of the concentration camps. It is in extremely fragile condition.