JOHN COGAN

1926 - 2020

COGAN--John F. John F. ("Jack") Cogan, Jr. of Cambridge, Massachusetts, attorney, CEO, and philanthropist known for his integrity, tenacity and vision, died on January 24, 2020 in Boston. He was 93. Jack Cogan is a former chairman and managing partner of Hale and Dorr (now WilmerHale) and a former chairman of the firm's Corporate Department. He joined the firm in 1952 and retired in 1999. Mr. Cogan was simultaneously a leader in the financial services industry. He began his involvement with Pioneer Fund in 1959 and served in many management and fiduciary capacities with Pioneer Fund and its successor companies (now Amundi Pioneer Asset Management). He was an early visionary for creating a global presence for Pioneer in India, Russia, Poland, Germany and other countries. He remained a trustee emeritus and director emeritus for various Amundi Pioneer affiliates after his retirement in 2014. Mr. Cogan also served as a governor-at-large of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), chaired its Investment Companies Committee and its Ad Hoc Committee on Financial Planners, and was a member of its Legal Advisory Board. He was a governor, member of its Executive Committee and a past chairman of the Investment Company Institute (ICI). He served as a member of the Russian Prime Minister's Foreign Investment Advisory Council from 1994 to 1999. Jack Cogan managed to balance his busy business life to make time to travel and enjoy music and art with his wife Mary Cornille. He supported cultural organizations in the Boston area as a philanthropic and civic leader for many organizations. He was a vice chairman and trustee of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, chairman of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. He became a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2005. He also gave his time and talents to medicine and those in need, including his long commitment as trustee and former chairman of University Hospital (now Boston Medical Center). He loved to run, which he began as captain of the Cross-Country team in college and he continued to run along the banks of the Charles River well into his nineties. He always had a twinkle in his eyes, a wicked sense of humor and loved to laugh. Jack Cogan was born in 1926 in Boston, Massachusetts to John F. and Mary (Galligan) Cogan. After graduating from high school in Melrose, Massachusetts, he joined the U.S. Navy Seabees, serving during the U.S. invasion of Okinawa during World War II. Following the war, he attended Harvard College on the GI Bill, graduating in 1949, then graduated from Harvard Law School in 1952. His commitment to Harvard was lifelong and he served in many capacities for the university and the law school. Mr. Cogan was a member of the Harvard Law School Visiting Committee and Harvard University Art Museum's Visiting Committee and former chairman of the Davis Center for Russian Studies Visiting Committee. In 2009, he was honored with the Harvard Medal for his contribution and service. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife Mary Cornille, his four children from a previous marriage, Peter of Seattle, Jonathan of Arlington, Va., Gregory of Norwell and Pamela Cogan Riddle of Atherton, Ca., and nine grandchildren. The funeral service will be private for the family and a public memorial gathering will be announced for the spring. In lieu of flowers, contribution may be made to the organization of your choice in his memory.