Mo Cowan

Early life and education

Cowan was born on April 4, 1969, in rural Yadkinville, North Carolina, the son of a machinist and a seamstress. His father died when he was 16 years old.

Cowan graduated from Forbush High School. Originally planning to become a doctor, he graduated from Duke University in 1991 with a degree in sociology. Cowan went on to earn his Juris Doctor from Northeastern University School of Law in 1994. His assignments in Northeastern's cooperative 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 the Palm Beach County Public Defender's Office.

Professional career

In 1997, Cowan joined the law firm of Mintz Levin as an associate. There he practiced civil litigation and became a partner. He helped Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney identify African-American candidates for judgeships after Romney was criticized for lack of diversity among his appointees.

Cowan left Mintz Levin to join Deval Patrick's administration in 2009. 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 the Supreme Judicial Court Roderick 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.

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. 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."

In 2003, Boston Business Journal named him to its list of "40 under 40", a select group of younger business and civic leaders. He is the former president of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association and the Northeastern Law School Alumni Association. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Northeastern University. Other non-profit boards he has served on include the Discovering Justice Foundation, Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, the Chestnut Hill School, and Project STEP.

U.S. Senate

Tenure

In December 2012, President Barack Obama announced the nomination of U.S. Senator and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry to serve as Secretary of State, leaving a vacancy in the seat Kerry had held for 28 years. Under state law, the Massachusetts House of Representatives grants the governor of Massachusetts the right to fill vacant U.S. Senate seats with an interim appointment. 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 the special election.

On January 30, 2013, Patrick announced the appointment of Cowan to the seat. Cowan became Massachusetts's second African-American U.S. Senator after Edward Brooke. He served alongside Tim Scott of South Carolina, the first time that two African-Americans served simultaneously in the Senate. Cowan's term officially began on February 1, 2013, once Kerry's resignation took effect. He was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden on February 7. The term ended on July 15, 2013, when Ed Markey was sworn in following the special election.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
  • Subcommittee on Jobs, Rural Economic Growth and Energy Innovation
  • Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, Poultry, Marketing and Agriculture Security
  • Subcommittee on Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Food and Agricultural Research (chair)
• Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
  • Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
  • Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion
  • Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance
  • Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
  • Subcommittee on Science and Space
  • Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
• Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Personal life

He is married to Stacy Cowan. She also is a lawyer.

References

References

1. Kerry, John. (January 29, 2013). "Letter to Deval Patrick". boston.com.
2. (January 30, 2013). "Patrick appoints former chief of staff interim senator; first time there will be two black senators". [[NBC News]].
3. Michael Levenson. (December 13, 2010). "For top aide, echoes of governor's journey". Boston Globe.
4. Phillips, Frank. (January 30, 2013). "William 'Mo' Cowan is Governor Deval Patrick's pick to serve as interim US senator". Boston Globe.
5. Seelye, Katharine Q.. (January 30, 2013). "Boston Lawyer Chosen for Kerry's Senate Seat". New York Times.
6. (November 27, 2012). "Stoughton Resident Mo Cowan to Step Down as Governor Patrick's Chief of Staff". Stoughton Patch.
7. Ring, Dan. (January 30, 2013). "Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint William Cowan as temporary replacement for Sen. John Kerry". The Republican.
8. (January 30, 2013). "Gov names adviser Mo Cowan to interim Senate post". Boston Herald.
9. "First-ever program brings bar leaders together". Massachusetts Bar Association.
10. "William "Mo" Cowan, L'94". Northeastern University.
11. "Alumni/ae Association Board of Directors". Northeastern University.
12. "Officers of the Corporation and Board of Trustees 2012–2013". Northeastern University.
13. "Discovering Justice Board of Trustees". Discovering Justice.
14. "Letter from the Chairperson". Roxbury Preparatory Charter School.
15. "Message from the Board President". The Chestnut Hill School.
16. "Board of Advisors 2012–2013". Project STEP.
17. Jessica Yellin, Joe Sterling. (December 21, 2012). "Obama nominates John Kerry to be secretary of state". [[CNN]].
18. Daniel T. Shedd. "Money for Senate Seats and Other Seventeenth Amendment Politicking: How to Amend the Constitution to Prevent Political Scandal During the Filling of Senate Vacancies". [[George Washington University Law School]].
19. Hillary Chabbot, Joe Battenfield. (January 29, 2013). "Interim Senator tomorrow Buzz Builds for dark horse pick". [[Boston Herald]].
20. Sean Sullivan. (January 10, 2013). "Deval Patrick, Barney Frank and the politics of Senate appointments". [[The Washington Post]].
21. Katherine Q. Seelye. (January 30, 2013). "Governor Appoints Ex-Aide to Fill Kerry's Seat". [[The New York Times]].
22. Michael A. Memoli. (January 30, 2013). "Mass. governor names ex-aide as interim senator to replace Kerry". [[Los Angeles Times]].
23. Gloria J. Browne-Marshall. (February 9, 2013). "A tale of two senators". Milwaukee Courier.
24. Gregory Giroux. (January 30, 2013). "Senate: Two Black Members a First". [[Bloomberg L.P..
25. Miga, Andrew. (February 7, 2013). "'Mo' Cowan sworn in as Massachusetts' new senator". [[The Boston Globe]].
26. "Honorary Degree Recipients". [[Georgetown University]].
27. (May 18, 2013). "Senator Cowan to Business Graduates: Value Self Worth over Net Worth". [[McDonough School of Business]].