Holding Court with Peter Fox Cohalan

Peter Fox Cohalan was named Suffolk County Historian in 2012 but in many ways he’s been preparing for the role his whole life. In fact, the Cohalans and history go way back. The first Cohalan in America arrived with Lafayette during the Revolution. One branch of the family led to a Grand Sachem of Tammany Hall, another to the first Catholic priest on Long Island. In his own storied career, Peter Fox has been Islip Town Supervisor, Suffolk County Executive, and State Supreme Court Judge (one of five Cohalans -including his father-  to reach that position.)

With the historian’s eye for detail and the Irishman’s gift for storytelling, Peter Fox can discuss the Sayville of his youth as easily as the quarrels of the early Federalists. On this episode of the Project he recounts the Sayville of the 1930s and ’40s along with his father’s time as coach at the La Salle Military Academy in Oakdale.  We’ll also hear about preservation efforts he spearheaded (like the Islip Grange in Sayville) as well as his family’s connections to the unforgettable Robert David Lion Gardiner.

Join us next week for Part 2.

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2 thoughts on “Holding Court with Peter Fox Cohalan

  • This was a great interview, except for the parts I couldn’t understand as Mr. Cohalan’s voice would trail off. Please turn up his mike or ask him to speak up for the second half of the interview, unless, of course, it’s too late. I’ve met his honor at many functions at the Suffolk County Historical Society and he’s quite easy to understand in person.

    Thank you,

    Jim “Zak” Szakmary

    Zak/USMC/Viet Nam/’68-’69

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