Edwin Cohn

On February 20, 2016, Edwin J. (Ed) Cohn died peacefully at home in Washington, DC., a day shy of his 95th birthday. Born in Cambridge, MA, in 1921, Ed attended Shady Hill School and graduated from the Phillips Exeter Academy. He received an A.B. from Harvard College and a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University.

Ed served in the field of international-development economics at the State Department and the Agency for International Development, including postings at the Hague, in Turkey, and in Afghanistan. While in Turkey, he also served as an advisor to the Turkish parliament and taught economics at the Middle East Technical University.

His intellectual curiosity and passion for knowledge and learning extended throughout his life. After he retired, Ed read widely and, together with his wife Kath, traveled extensively, focusing on his lifelong interest in the interrelationships among economy, society, culture, and politics in various parts of the world, with particular attention to the historic and contemporary forces that affect the emergence of democracy. An accomplished linguist, he spoke French, Spanish, German, and Turkish. For the last 20 years, he derived great pleasure and satisfaction from participating in classes at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at American University, where he also developed many rewarding friendships.

Ed is survived by his daughter Sue Cohn of Washington, DC; son Dan Cohn of Sanibel Island, FL; grandchildren Michael, Amanda, Vance, Alec, Julia, and Katherine; companion Regina Hablutzel; son-in-law Larry Novey and daughter-in-law Candy Hutchings Cohn; and numerous other relatives and friends. Ed was predeceased by his wife of 46 years, Katherine Sloss Cohn.

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