Benjamin V. Cohen passed away on August 15, 1983. To honor his legacy and dedication to resolving worldwide conflicts peacefully, Ball State University hosts an annual Conference. This year, the Conference will be entitled "2021 Benjamin V. Cohen Conference: Building a Beloved Community" and will be held on April 9 and 10 via Zoom.

About Benjamin V. Cohen

Born in Muncie, Indiana on September 23, 1894, Benjamin Victor Cohen graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 1915. He then attended Harvard Law School where he attracted the attention of Felix Frankfurter. In 1933, Franklin Roosevelt summoned Cohen from private practice in New York to public service.

Cohen became a major legal architect of much of the New Deal legislation including the Securities Act and the plan for Lend-Lease and economic stability during World War II. A shy man, Cohen worked behind the scenes where his brilliance as a legal draftsman was widely recognized.

Following World War II, Cohen turned his talents to the problems of world peace and became one of the architects of the United Nations, serving on the U.S. delegation to the UN and on the United Nations Disarmament Commission. His abiding interest in world peace and his outstanding legal ability influenced American Presidents and world leaders until his death in 1983.

The Cohen Memorial Fund

The Cohen Memorial Fund was established in 1984 to support the Benjamin V. Cohen Peace Fellowship Program, which awards funds to Ball State faculty members and graduate students for research in fields related to progress toward a peaceful world.

The Center for Peace and Conflict Studies manages the logistics of the Cohen Fellowship, for more information see the Cohen Fund Guidelines.