William Cohen

William Sebastian Cohen (born August 28, 1940) is an American lawyer, author, and politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979, a member of the Senate from 1979 to 1997, and as Secretary of Defense from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Cohen, a Republican from Maine, was known as a moderate and centrist. He had a productive working relationship with President Clinton, National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. However, he often clashed with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Born in Bangor, Maine, Cohen is of Protestant Irish and Russian Jewish ancestry.