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Mo Cowan

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Mo Cowan
Official portrait, 2013
United States Senator
fromMassachusetts
In office
February 1, 2013 – July 15, 2013
Appointed byDeval Patrick
Preceded byJohn Kerry
Succeeded byEd Markey
Personal details
Born
William Maurice Cowan

(1969-04-04)April 4, 1969(age 55)
Yadkinville, North Carolina,U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseStacy Cowan
Children2
EducationDuke University(BA)
Northeastern University(JD)
WebsiteSenate website
Mo Cowan's voice
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 SenatorfromMassachusettsfrom 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 electionto complete the remainder of Kerry's term. He was succeeded by fellow DemocratEd Markey.Cowan was theeighth African-American U.S. Senatorand the second from Massachusetts afterEdward Brooke.He was one of three African-American U.S. senators in the113th Congress,along withRepublicanSenatorTim ScottfromSouth Carolinaand DemocratCory BookerfromNew Jersey,although he did not serve alongside Booker, who took office on October 31, 2013.[2]

Early life and education

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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 Universityin 1991 with a degree insociology.[3]Cowan went on to earn hisJuris DoctorfromNortheastern University School of Lawin 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 CountyPublic Defender's Office.[5]

Professional career

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In 1997, Cowan joined the law firm ofMintz Levinas an associate. There he practiced civil litigation and became a partner. He helpedMassachusetts GovernorMitt Romneyidentify 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 Journalnamed 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]

U.S. Senate

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Tenure

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Cowan (right) withthen-U.S. Representative Ed Markey(left), his successor in the Senate, at a 2013 gathering

In December 2012, PresidentBarack Obamaannounced the nomination of U.S. Senator andForeign Relations CommitteeChairmanJohn Kerryto serve asSecretary of State,leaving a vacancy in the seat Kerry had held for 28 years.[17]Under state law, theHouse of Representativesgrants 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. SenatorafterEdward Brooke.[22]He served alongsideTim ScottofSouth 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 Bidenon February 7.[25]The term ended on July 15, 2013, whenEd Markeywas sworn in following the special election.

Committee assignments

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Personal life

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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 Universityin 2013 and spoke at the commencement ceremony for theMcDonough School of Business.[26][27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Kerry, John (January 29, 2013)."Letter to Deval Patrick"(PDF).boston.RetrievedJanuary 30,2013.
  2. ^abMontanaro, Domenico; Murray, Mark (January 30, 2013)."Patrick appoints former chief of staff interim senator; first time there will be two black senators".NBC News.RetrievedJanuary 30,2013.
  3. ^abcdMichael Levenson (December 13, 2010)."For top aide, echoes of governor's journey".Boston Globe.RetrievedJanuary 30,2013.
  4. ^abPhillips, Frank (January 30, 2013)."William 'Mo' Cowan is Governor Deval Patrick's pick to serve as interim US senator".Boston Globe.RetrievedJanuary 30,2013.
  5. ^ab"William" Mo "Cowan, L'94".Alumni Stories.Northeastern University.RetrievedJanuary 30,2013.
  6. ^Seelye, Katharine Q. (January 30, 2013)."Boston Lawyer Chosen for Kerry's Senate Seat".New York Times.RetrievedJanuary 30,2013.
  7. ^abAshton, Kimberly; Pickette, Jeffrey (November 27, 2012)."Stoughton Resident Mo Cowan to Step Down as Governor Patrick's Chief of Staff".Stoughton Patch.RetrievedJanuary 30,2013.
  8. ^Ring, Dan (January 30, 2013)."Gov. Deval Patrick to appoint William Cowan as temporary replacement for Sen. John Kerry".The Republican.RetrievedJanuary 30,2013.
  9. ^Battenfeld, Joe; Chabot, Hillary; Cassidy, Chris (January 30, 2013)."Gov names adviser Mo Cowan to interim Senate post".Boston Herald.RetrievedJanuary 30,2013.
  10. ^"First-ever program brings bar leaders together".Lawyers Journal, November 2003.Massachusetts Bar Association.RetrievedJanuary 30,2013.
  11. ^"Alumni/ae Association Board of Directors".School of Law.Northeastern University.RetrievedFebruary 1,2013.
  12. ^"Officers of the Corporation and Board of Trustees 2012–2013".Northeastern University.RetrievedJanuary 30,2013.
  13. ^"Discovering Justice Board of Trustees".Discovering Justice.RetrievedFebruary 1,2013.
  14. ^"Letter from the Chairperson"(PDF).2006–2007 Annual Report.Roxbury Preparatory Charter School.RetrievedFebruary 1,2013.
  15. ^"Message from the Board President".Board of Trustees.The Chestnut Hill School.RetrievedFebruary 1,2013.
  16. ^"Board of Advisors 2012–2013".Project STEP.RetrievedFebruary 1,2013.
  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"(PDF).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.
  25. ^Miga, Andrew (February 7, 2013)."'Mo' Cowan sworn in as Massachusetts' new senator ".The Boston Globe.RetrievedFebruary 7,2013.
  26. ^"Honorary Degree Recipients".Georgetown University.RetrievedMarch 1,2015.
  27. ^"Senator Cowan to Business Graduates: Value Self Worth over Net Worth".McDonough School of Business.May 18, 2013.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related toMo Cowan.
U.S. Senate
Preceded by United States Senator (Class 2) from Massachusetts
2013
Served alongside:Elizabeth Warren 		Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence(ceremonial)
Preceded byas Former US Senator Order of precedence of the United States Succeeded byas Former US Senator
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