Cohen was born in London and emigrated to Australia, arriving in Melbourne aboard
Coromandel in August 1852, and made his way to Adelaide in the same month. It was the time of the Victorian gold rush, and he joined the exodus to the diggings. He had no luck as a prospector, and worked and joined with a company supplying requisites to the diggers at
Forest Creek,
Barkers Creek,
Loddon,
Bendigo,
Maryborough,
Avoca and
Tarrengower. At Bendigo (then named Sandhurst) he renewed acquaintance with author
B. L. Farjeon who founded a newspaper there. In 1856 he returned to Adelaide, where he began speculating as a property developer. Among his notable activities were: • Around 1863 he pulled down three shops opposite the Globe Hotel in Rundle Street and rebuilt them. • From 1865 he operated a general store in
Goolwa, living on Admiral Terrace. His business was taken over in 1873 by
Thomas Goode. • He founded the Adelaide Central Auction Mart (also known as Adelaide Central Mart), opposite
White's Rooms, King William Street, in 1876 selling the business to
D. W. Melvin. • In 1877 he built a three-storeyed building at "Muirhead's Corner" of King William and Hindley streets, for a time tenanted by the "Monster Clothing Palace". Cohen opened a restaurant, "Shades", in its large cellar. • converted two shops into the International Hotel in Rundle Street • built a warehouse for
McLean Brothers & Rigg in Hindley Street. • converted the old Commercial Bank (King William Street, opposite Bank of Adelaide) into the Comstock Chambers suite of offices • converted R. H. Wigg & Co.'s premises in King William Street into two shops, one being Taylor's oyster saloon. • built a 2-story family mansion at 68 Fullarton Road, Norwood, completed in 1883 • He was a member of the syndicate (with
Wendt,
Solomon and L. H. Behrens) that in 1885 built the
Adelaide Arcade, and in London he personally selected the glass, the marble floor tiling, and the electric light fittings. He died at his residence, Gover Street, North Adelaide. ==Family==