Charles Cleveland Cohan was born on May 18, 1884 in Anaconda, Montana to David Cohen and Rosalie Engel. He began his career in journalism as a reporter for the Anaconda Standard before accepting the position of city editor for the Missoulian in Missoula, Montana. Cohan, returning closer to his family, became the managing editor of the Butte Miner (now the Montana Standard) in 1910. It was during this time period when, in 1910, Cohan attended a party at the home of Mrs. Creighton Largey, celebrating the visit of musician and songwriter Joseph E. Howard, who was performing in Butte. During the evening, guests of Mrs. Largey suggested that Howard compose a song about Montana, and Charles Cohan being the only professional writer in attendance was urged to assist him. Within half an hour the two men had penned the music and lyrics to "Montana", and by the end of the night everyone was singing along. When Joe Howard continued on to the state capitol in Helena to perform at the Helena Theater, he played the newly composed song which became an instant success. Immediately following the performance, Governor Edwin L. Norris declared "Montana" to be the state song. The song did indeed become the official song for the state of Montana in 1945 under House Joint Resolution No. 5. Cohan continued on at the Butte Miner, and in 1919 he published a novel about Butte titled, Born of the Crucible. Charles Cohan was promoted from city editor to associate editor, a position he held until 1923 when he and his wife, Pearl Cohan (nee Poznanski) moved to Los Angeles, California. In 1927 Charles Cohan began working for the Los Angeles Times where he spent five years writing special features before accepting the position of real estate editor. Cohan remained as the real estate editor for the LA Times until his retirement in 1959. Charles Cohan died in Los Angeles of pneumonia on April 4, 1969.
From the description of Charles C. Cohan papers (Montana Historical Society Library). WorldCat record id: 241295922
