Death and Summation of Career
David Cohen died on October 3, 2005, at the age of 90, after a hospitalization at Albert Einstein Medical Center, a few blocks from his home of 53 years. The cause of death was heart failure, although he had entered the hospital for kidney failure. Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Claude Lewis, a longtime observer of Philadelphia politics, metaphorically suggested in an October 5, 2005 column that he had died of heart failure because "he used his heart so much."
He had served in City Council over a period of nearly 38 years, more than any Democrat in Philadelphia history, and had served as Councilman at Large for almost 26 years, more than any Philadelphia Councilman at Large. He called himself a "true Roosevelt Democrat."
He was an unabashed liberal and tenacious champion for causes of the poor and downtrodden, as well as for the middle class. In the midst of his 2003 re-election campaign, he told the Philadelphia City Paper for February 27-March 5, 2003 "My colleagues will tell you that I'm the most active member of City Council. For years people have been saying I should step down, but it's not because of my age, it's because of my politics.
"I believe that government must help people to a better life, to see to it that everyone has an equal chance at the American dream, no matter what their economic background. That may not make me popular with some people, but the voters have elected me to Council (at Large) six times, so I must be popular with someone....
"I have more zest now than when I first started. When I leave is up to the Lord and the voters."
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