About William Cohen
William Sebastian Cohen (born August 28, 1940) is an American attorney, author, and politician. A member of the Republican Party, Cohen also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979, United States Senate from 1979 to 1997, and as secretary of defense from 1997 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Described as "a Republican moderate from Maine" and "something of a maverick centrist" by David Halberstam, Cohen had very good working relations with President Clinton and National Security Adviser Sandy Berger and an "almost ideal" collaboration with the Joint Chiefs of Staff; however, he often clashed with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, whom he saw as "a grandstander, too outspoken on policy matters, and too eager to use military force." During his first term in Congress, Cohen was assigned to the House Judiciary Committee, where he participated in the 1974 impeachment hearings against President Richard Nixon. A Republican, Cohen served as both a member of the United States House of Representatives (1973–1979) and Senate (1979–1997), and as Secretary of Defense (1997–2001) under Democratic President Bill Clinton.
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