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Lewis Cohen was born in Liverpool, England, on December 23rd 1849,
into an affluent family of Jewish merchants. With his parents Henry and
Elizabeth he arrived in Sydney in 1851. His parents subsequently had twelve
more children. Henry was an outfitter and businessman.
Education: Lewis returned to England in 1863, at the age of
14, to complete his education at the Jewish College at Edmonton, near London.
Three years later, in 1866, he returned to Sydney.
Fiji:
Lewis first worked in his father's office. Henry then financed Lewis to enter
a partnership with a school friend, Adolphus Meyer Brodziak, to go to Fiji to
trade in cotton, copra, trepang and tortoise-shell.
In 1872 Lewis became
a member of the first Fijian Legislative Council in Levuka. In 1976 my husband
Keith and I saw in the Suva Museum in Fiji a photo of the young Lewis taken at
that time.
Conflicting dates for Lewis's time in Fiji.
The Dictionary of Biography says that Lewis returned to Australia in 1873.
The Cyclopedia of South Australia 1907-1909 says that Lewis Cohen went to Fiji
in 1870 and returned to Australia in 1873.
The Adelaide newspaper "The
South Australian" of July 8th 1926 states that he went to Fiji in 1866 and
stayed there for 4 years, that is until 1870.
In the book "The Jews in
Australia" Hilary Rubinstein says that Lewis's brother Isaiah, who was known
as Reginald, joined Lewis in Levuka, (Fiji), in 1874.
Lewis's Obituary in
an Adelaide newspaper says that he returned to Sydney from Fiji in 1873.
Marriage: Lewis married Selina Marks in Melbourne on 9thApril, 1873.
Details of the marriage of Lewis Cohen and Selina Marks from "The Jewish
Victorian - Genealogical Information from the Jewish newspapers 1871 -1880".
(Transcribed and edited by Doreen Berger):
"Lewis Cohen
Marriage 9.4.1873 at the residence of the bride's parents, by Rev.
A.F.Ornistien, assisted by Rev. L.Goldstein, eldest son of Henry Cohen,
Sydney, to Selina 5th daughter of Mark Marks, Victoria House, Albert St., East
Melbourne."
There exists a photo of Selina taken in Fiji.
Therefore we can assume that either Selina visited Lewis in Fiji before their
marriage (I am sure well chaperoned), or that Lewis returned to Australia in
1873, married Selina and she then went to Fiji as a young bride. If that is
the case their first child, Henry, who was born in 1874, may have been born in
Fiji.
Adelaide: In 1876 Lewis and Selina came to
Adelaide to live. Lewis was an asthmatic and it was suggested to him that the
climate of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, would be beneficial to
him. So in 1876 Lewis and Selina and their two young children, Henry and
Hannah, moved to Adelaide. Lewis was aged 27.
Business:
He opened a branch of the Melbourne based London Loan and Discount Bank. In
time he prospered, became a stockbroker and wealthy businessman of the young
colony.
Member of Parliament: Lewis was a member
of the South Australian House of Assembly for the seat of North Adelaide from
1887 to 1893 and from 1902 to 1906. He was a staunch protectionist and
rejected the free trade policies of New South Wales.
Adelaide City Council: He was a member of the Adelaide City Council
for 28 years between 1886 and 1927. He was Mayor 7 times and Lord Mayor from
1921 to 1923. A great defender of the parklands, he declared in one of his
speeches "Hands off our Park Lands". He was aware of the parklands being a
unique feature of the city. Controversy about the use of the parklands still
continues today.
In 1911 Lewis and Selina went to London to
represent the City of Adelaide at the Coronation of King George V and Queen
Mary. While in London Lewis initiated the campaign to have Adelaide
granted a Lord Mayoralty. This finally took place in 1919.
Jewish
Community Work: Both Lewis and Selina were active in the Jewish
community in Adelaide. At different times Lewis was president and treasurer of
the Adelaide Hebrew Congregation. For three years he was chairman of the
Synagogue School. He defended ritual reforms inaugurated by the congregation.
He was also interested in Liberal Judaism. He attended at least one Service at
Temple Beth Israel in Melbourne. In "The Jews in Australia: volume 1 1788 to
1948" the author, Hilary L. Rubinstein, says that Lewis Cohen was one of the
Jewish community's natural spokesmen "who rarely surrendered an opportunity to
counter aspersions on (the Jewish) people".
Other
Interests: Other organisations in which Lewis Cohen was active were:-
Also from Morton "The Mayoral dinner was a grand affair held annually in the
banqueting room at the Town Hall. Paid for by the mayor personally, this
function had a restricted guest list, but for a while at least it included
many if not most of the corporation's staff. The one of July 1910 sponsored by
munificent Mayor Cohen, ended with free front seats at Prince's Pictures, the
cinema company which then operated in the Town Hall on Saturday nights".
When Lewis Cohen entertained privately it was with style. Dinner at the Cohen
home at Barnard Street, North Adelaide, was a formal occasion. The butler and
maid waiting at the table wore white gloves. However Lewis was not a large
eater, and when he had finished eating the guests and family were presumed to
have finished eating also. The meal was over!
The 9th April, 1933,
was Lewis and Selina's Diamond Wedding Anniversary. Invitations were sent out
for a Dinner at 1pm at the Pier Hotel, Glenelg, to celebrate this occasion. At
the age of 83 Lewis still desired to entertain on a grand scale. Unfortunately
the function had to be cancelled due to his failing health.
Lewis the Man: Lewis was a handsome man, not tall, always well
dressed, and maybe rather vain. A large painting of him hangs in the Council
Chamber of the Adelaide Town Hall. The artist was A. McCormac. The painting
was presented to the council in 1891. The face area was re-painted in 1904 by
George Webb. Family evidence suggests that this was done because Lewis
considered the original did not do him justice.
Selina's beautiful
gowns were usually written up in the social pages of the Adelaide newspapers,
and Lewis often assisted Selina in the choice of her dresses. Lewis was very
conscious of the public image of himself and his family. As well as the
obvious very human reasons for this there was no doubt another reason - he was
a Jew in a Gentile society. In "After Light" Peter Morton writes "To the end
Cohen remained a stickler for the civic dignity. He was not an arrogant or a
pompous man, but he was the purest form of romantic tory. Like his
co-religionist Benjamin Disraeli, he had that concern with the trapppings of
office often characteristic of those who, deep down, feel themselves
outsiders".
Knighthood: Lewis Cohen was
knighted in 1924.
Death: He died at his Colley
Terrace, Glenelg, home on Saturday 24th June, 1933. Selina died three months
later. Sir Lewis Cohen Avenue, which runs north -south between South Terrace
and Greenhill road, was named in his honour before he was knighted. After he
received his knighthood the name was changed from Lewis Cohen Avenue to Sir
Lewis Cohen Avenue.
Children:
Lewis and Selina had 6 children.
Henry Jessel 1874 - ?
Hannah Maude
BRIDGLAND 1876 - 1959 (my grandmother)
Mark Victor Napoleon 1878 - 1926
Horace Alan Louis 1880 - 1900
Jessel Rupert 1882 - ?1948
Gladys
Elizabeth KRANTZ LEVY 1885 - 1966
I Remember
Lewis and Selina. I was their first great grandchild and I called them Pa and
Ga. They died when I was three years old.
Margot Bailey AUA (nee Bridgland)
11th May
2002
Appendix
Jewish Mayors of Adelaide
John
Lazar 1855 - 1858
Judah Moss Solomon 1869 - 1871
Lewis Cohen 1889 - 1891; 1901 - 1904; 1909 - 1911
Isaac Isaacs 1915 - 1917
Jewish Lords Mayor of Adelaide
Lewis Cohen 1921 - 1923
Walter Lewis Bridgland 1966 - 1968
Henry Ninio 1993 - 1997
Accessioned onto AJM website May 2002 << back |
