Mo Cowan | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2013 | |
| United States Senator fromMassachusetts | |
| In office February 1, 2013 – July 15, 2013 | |
| Appointed by | Deval Patrick |
| Preceded by | John Kerry |
| Succeeded by | Ed Markey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Maurice Cowan (1969-04-04)April 4, 1969 (age 55) Yadkinville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Stacy Cowan |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | |
| Website | Senate website |
Mo Cowan honors Sean Collier and Richard Donohue Jr., police officer casualties of theBoston bombers Recorded April 25, 2013 | |
William Maurice Cowan (born April 4, 1969) is an American politician who served as aUnited States Senator fromMassachusetts from February 1, 2013, to July 15, 2013. A member of theDemocratic Party, he previously served as legal counsel and chief of staff to GovernorDeval Patrick. Patrick appointed him on an interim basis to fill the vacancy left by fellow DemocratJohn Kerry, who resigned to becomeU.S. Secretary of State.[1]
Cowan declined to run in the2013 special election to complete the remainder of Kerry's term. He was succeeded by fellow DemocratEd Markey. Cowan was theeighth African-American U.S. Senator and the second from Massachusetts afterEdward Brooke. He was one of three African-American U.S. senators in the113th Congress, along withRepublican SenatorTim Scott fromSouth Carolina and DemocratCory Booker fromNew Jersey, although he did not serve alongside Booker, who took office on October 31, 2013.[2]
Cowan was born on April 4, 1969, in ruralYadkinville, North Carolina, the son of a machinist and a seamstress. His father died when he was 16 years old.[3][4]
Cowan graduated fromForbush High School.[3] Originally planning to become a doctor, he graduated fromDuke University in 1991 with a degree insociology.[3] Cowan went on to earn hisJuris Doctor fromNortheastern University School of Law in 1994. His assignments in Northeastern'scooperative program, which provides students with work experience as part of its educational program, included stints in the office of a state trial court, at North Carolina Prison Legal Services, and with thePalm Beach County Public Defender's Office.[5]
In 1997, Cowan joined the law firm ofMintz Levin as an associate. There he practiced civil litigation and became a partner. He helpedMassachusetts GovernorMitt Romney identify African-American candidates for judgeships after Romney was criticized for lack of diversity among his appointees.[4]
Cowan left Mintz Levin to joinDeval Patrick's administration in 2009.[6] As Patrick's counsel, Cowan was responsible for the legal operations of the executive branch and oversaw the governor's judicial nominations, including that of Chief Justice of theSupreme Judicial CourtRoderick L. Ireland. His principal projects as staff included legislation to contain the growth of health care costs and to expand gaming, as well as investigating and reorganizing the state Parole Board.[7]
Cowan served as Patrick's chief legal counsel for two years and then as chief of staff from January 2011 until November 2012, when he announced plans to return to the private sector. He continued to serve the governor as a senior adviser until his Senate appointment.[8] When appointed to the Senate, he said he had no intention of seeking public office once his interim appointment expired. He said: "This is going to be a very short political career. I am not running for office. I'm not a candidate for public service at any time today or in the future."[9]
In 2003,Boston Business Journal named him to its list of "40 under 40", a select group of younger business and civic leaders.[10] He is the former president of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association[5] and the Northeastern Law School Alumni Association.[11] He serves on the Board of Trustees of Northeastern University.[12] Other non-profit boards he has served on include the Discovering Justice Foundation,[13] Roxbury Preparatory Charter School,[14] the Chestnut Hill School,[15] and Project STEP.[16]
In December 2012, PresidentBarack Obama announced the nomination of U.S. Senator andForeign Relations Committee ChairmanJohn Kerry to serve asSecretary of State, leaving a vacancy in the seat Kerry had held for 28 years.[17] Under state law, theMassachusetts House of Representatives grants the governor of Massachusetts the right to fill vacant U.S. Senate seats with an interim appointment.[18] Governor Deval Patrick announced that he was looking at "out of the box candidates" who had never run for office, and would hold the seat temporarily, forgoing a run in thespecial election.[19][20]
On January 30, 2013, Patrick announced the appointment of Cowan to the seat.[21] Cowan became Massachusetts's secondAfrican-American U.S. Senator afterEdward Brooke.[22] He served alongsideTim Scott ofSouth Carolina,[23] the first time that two African-Americans served simultaneously in the Senate.[2][24] Cowan's term officially began on February 1, 2013, once Kerry's resignation took effect. He was sworn in by Vice PresidentJoe Biden on February 7.[25] The term ended on July 15, 2013, whenEd Markey was sworn in following the special election.
He is married to Stacy Cowan. She also is a lawyer.[3] They have two sons, Miles and Grant, and live inWestwood, Massachusetts.[7] He received an honorary degree fromGeorgetown University in 2013 and spoke at the commencement ceremony for theMcDonough School of Business.[26][27]
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| Preceded by | United States Senator (Class 2) from Massachusetts 2013 Served alongside:Elizabeth Warren | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded byas Former US Senator | Order of precedence of the United States | Succeeded byas Former US Senator |
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