12 Facts About Shaughnessy Cohen

Shaughnessy Cohen was born in London, Ontario, and grew up in Thamesville.

Shaughnessy Cohen studied English literature and sociology at the University of Windsor, and taught at St Clair College before returning to law school.

Shaughnessy Cohen married Jerry Cohen, a psychology professor, in 1971.

Shaughnessy Cohen had originally intended to keep her own surname, but opted to take her husband's name when she realized it would make her both Irish and Jewish.

Shaughnessy Cohen was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1979, and worked as a lawyer until her election to Parliament.

However, in the 1993 election, Shaughnessy Cohen defeated McCurdy for the seat.

Shaughnessy Cohen's first political action after being sworn in as a Member of Parliament was a letter requesting that the federal government building in Windsor be named after former MP Paul Martin, Sr.

In February 1994, Shaughnessy Cohen was appointed to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources and Development.

Shaughnessy Cohen was re-elected in the 1997 election by a narrower margin, due to a significant resurgence in support for the New Democratic Party.

Shaughnessy Cohen had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and was pronounced dead soon afterward at Ottawa Civic Hospital.

Shaughnessy Cohen was the fifth MP in Canadian history to die on Parliament Hill, and the first ever to suffer a fatal health incident in the House of Commons chamber rather than in her office or on the wider Parliament Hill grounds.

Shaughnessy Cohen was cremated after the church ceremony and her ashes were buried on Pelee Island, Canada's most southern inhabited land.