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Daniel Florence Cohalan (December 21, 1865 – November 12, 1946) was an American lawyer and politician of Irish descent.
Cohalan was born inMiddletown, Orange County, New York. He was the son of Timothy E. Cohalan and Ellen (O'Leary) Cohalan. He graduated fromManhattan College in 1885. Then he studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1888, and practiced in Orange County. In September 1889, he removed tothe Bronx, practiced law there, and entered politics, joiningTammany Hall. He was Grand Sachem of theTammany Society from 1908 to 1911.
On May 18, 1911, he was appointed by Gov.John Alden Dix to theNew York Supreme Court, to fill the vacancy caused by the election ofJames Aloysius O'Gorman asU.S. Senator from New York. In November 1911, Cohalan was elected to succeed himself. On December 28, 1923, he tendered his resignation, to become effective on January 12, 1924, claiming that the annual salary of $17,500 was not enough to provide for his large family.
He was a close associate of Irish revolutionary leaderJohn Devoy and was influential in many Irish-American societies includingClan na Gael. Cohalan was involved with the financing and planning of theEaster Rising in Dublin and was instrumental in sendingRoger Casement to Germany in 1914. He was Chairman of theIrish Race Convention held in Philadelphia (22–23 February 1919) and active in theFriends of Irish Freedom (1916–1934).
Cohalan strongly opposed PresidentWoodrow Wilson's proposals for theLeague of Nations, on the basis that theIrish Republic had been denied a policy ofself-determination at theParis Peace Conference in 1919. Cohalan broke with bothÉamon de Valera and Irish-American leaderJoseph McGarrity in late 1919 on Irish-American political direction.
He died at his New York City home on November 12, 1946, and was buried at theCalvary Cemetery inQueens.
State SenatorJohn P. Cohalan was one of his eleven siblings, and church historian Monsignor Florence Daniel Cohalan was one of his nine children.[1]
