Democrat William “Mo” Cowan was appointed on Jan. 30, 2013 to fill the Senate seat vacated by John Kerry, who resigned after being confirmed as secretary of State. Cowan will serve only until a June 25 special election is held in Massachusetts. Read More
Democrat William “Mo” Cowan was appointed on Jan. 30, 2013 to fill the Senate seat vacated by John Kerry, who resigned after being confirmed as secretary of State. Cowan will serve only until a June 25 special election is held in Massachusetts.
Cowan – who has never held elected office -- is the first African-American to represent Massachusetts in the Senate since Republican Edward Brooke, who was the first black to be popularly elected to the chamber and who served from 1967 to 1979. Cowan joins Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., in the chamber, giving the Senate two African-American members for the first time in its history.
Cowan grew up in Yadkinville, N.C., a largely segregated town where the Ku Klux Klan held marches and burned crosses while he was growing up. He was just 16 when his father died, and he was raised by his mother, a seamstress. He attended Duke University, graduating with a sociology degree, then moved to Boston to attend Northeastern University’s law school.
Cowan went to work for the politically-connected Boston law firm Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo, where he developed a reputation for mentoring young black professionals. When Republican Mitt Romney served as governor and faced criticism for not selecting enough minority judges, Cowan helped him identify potential prospects. He also got to know Deval Patrick, who also is African-American, after Patrick spoke at a legal event in the 1990s. “I essentially cold-called him and said: ‘Hey, you really don’t know me. I’m a young know-nothing lawyer, but you seem to have a handle on this thing. Would you mind sparing a few minutes whenever you can to give me a bit of advice?’ ’’ Cowan told The Boston Globe in 2010. “And he said: ‘Sure. What are you doing right now?’’’
Cowan and Patrick became close, and when Patrick was elected governor, he persuaded Cowan to leave his lucrative job practicing law to become his chief legal counsel in 2009. After winning a second term in 2010, he turned to Cowan to become his chief of staff, brushing aside concerns from some observers that Cowan lacked political experience. Cowan acquired a reputation for being “smart, strategic, and tough,” according to Lt. Gov. Tim Murray.
When President Obama nominated Kerry to serve as his secretary of State, speculation about his immediate replacement revolved around some of Massachusetts’ House members. Democrat Barney Frank, who retired from the House in 2013, made it known that he wanted the job. But Frank’s decision angered Democratic Rep. Edward Markey, who had announced his decision to run for the Senate seat in the special election. Patrick instead turned to Cowan, who had just left his administration to return to private practice. “He has been a valued ally to me and our work on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth,” Patrick said at a news conference. “In every step, he has brought preparation, perspective, wisdom, sound judgment and clarity of purpose.” Frank reacted by issuing a terse statement: “I know Mr. Cowan is committed to working hard and in a socially-fair and economically-efficient manner toward resolving pending budget issues.”
Cowan said he would not run in the special election nor in any future Senate race. He said he saw his role in the Senate as essentially furthering Kerry’s positions and policies. “There’s not going to be any daylight there, because there’s no need … I want to continue the work that’s been going on already,” he said.
