Herbert Leonard Cohen

Born February 3, 1928, to Benjamin and Cecelia Pate Cohen in New York, NY, Herbert L. Cohen passed away April 18, 2025, in Sacramento, CA, after a brief illness. A lifelong devotee of economics, law, philosophy, and literature, he earned his BA from UC Santa Barbara in 1949 and his LLM from UC Berkeley Law School (Boalt Hall) in 1952, passing the California bar exam in 1951 prior to completing his degree.

Herbert proudly served in the US Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 1953 - 1964, retiring as a Major. He began his career with the State of California as an attorney for the California Dept. of Alcoholic Beverage Control, where he worked from 1958 -1962. After placing first in the state on an examination for Senior Counsel, he was appointed to the position of Chief Counsel for the California Dept. of Food and Agriculture, serving in that capacity from 1962 – 1992.

Beyond his intellectual pursuits, he loved the California central valley, San Francisco's Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park, the California Golden Bears, California Memorial Stadium, the Sierra Nevada mountain range, California's Northwest Redwoods, and the Pacific Ocean coastline. He delighted in performances by the New York Metropolitan Opera and many world-class ballet troupes; the Kirov Ballet’s Swan Lake was a special favorite. A devoted patron of live theatre, when his children were young he purchased season subscriptions to the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) and drove the whole family to San Francisco regularly in order to take in their latest productions. He loved the visual arts as well, with a particular appreciation for the classics such as Rembrandt, Fragonard, Chagall, Vermeer, and Ansel Adams.

A constant and avid reader, he particularly admired Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Wouk, and Einstein; in retirement he turned the tables and authored six books of his own, including "The Flight of the Ilyushin 76". His hobbies included stamps, airplanes, gardening, swimming, cats and dogs, and listening to music -- particularly Bach, Mozart, Verdi, and Jan Peerce -- on his high fidelity audio equipment. At the dinner table, his tastes ran to halibut, spinach and crème sauce, apple pie, and graham crackers.

Herbert was predeceased by his first wife Shirley Mason Cohen, to whom he was married from 1951 - 1999, and by his second wife Jane Reed Cohen, to whom he was married from 2000 - 2012. He is survived by his children Bruce and daughter-in-law Julia, Annette, Carol and son-in-law David, and Debra, as well as grandchildren Melissa and grandson-in-law John, Kevin, Anne, and Andrew.

A Celebration of Life will be held August 10, 2025, from 12-3 pm at Park Terrace Swim & Tennis Club in Sacramento; to RSVP and for more information please email [email protected].

In lieu of flowers, please give your dog or cat an extra treat.