The industry is mourning the loss of Andrew Cohen, the former presiding judge of the San Jose office of the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. Judge Cohen passed away on Tuesday December 29, of natural causes.

Cohen, 75, earned his B.A. with Honors in Economics from Dartmouth College in 1961. He then graduated from Stanford University Law School in 1968 and then was in a private law practice from 1969 until 1989. He then served as a Worker’s Compensation Judge from 1989 to 1994 and before his retirement he was the Presiding Judge from 1994 until 2003.

He lived in Menlo Park since 1991, and served on the Menlo Park City Council from 2004 to 2012 and was at one time the Menlo Park mayor. He made numerous contributions to city matters with his compassion and influence.

The City Council and staff have fond memories of Judge Cohen. Mayor Rich Cline stated, “I’ve known Andy since 2006, when we first met for a walk at Bayfront Park to discuss the city’s future. He was then and always remained a gentleman with great curiosity and a big heart. He cared deeply about helping those in need and he walked the walk. He led our city to enact many policies that helped folks keep their homes when the market collapsed in 2008 and went above and beyond to seek common ground. This is a very sad day for many of us who grew to know Andy. We are a better community for having had Andy as one of our leaders. Our heartfelt sympathies for Andy’s family during this difficult loss.”

He decided not to run again for City Council at the time of the 2012 election. He told The Daily News he was ready to indulge in more leisurely pursuits but felt pulled by a desire to keep fighting for the issues he feels strongly about, such as creating more housing in the city. In a sign of his internal struggle, Cohen pulled candidate papers on July 17 but returned them blank less than a week later, then returned to City Hall a few days later to get new forms. Early Friday, he sent City Clerk Margaret Roberts an email saying he would not file papers to run again.

At the time Judge Cohen declined to elaborate about his decision other than to say he is looking forward to doing other things for his “personal betterment.”