William Cowan

William “Mo” Cowan (born April 4, 1969) is an American lawyer serving as the junior United States Senator from Massachusetts. He previously served as legal counsel and chief of staff to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. Patrick appointed him on January 30, 2013, on an interim basis to fill the vacancy left by fellow Democrat John Kerry, who resigned to become Secretary of State. Cowan's term began when Kerry's resignation took effect on February 1. He has declined to run in the 2013 special election to complete the remainder of Kerry's term.

Cowan is the eighth African-American United States Senator and the second from Massachusetts after Edward Brooke. He is one of two African-American Senators in the 113th Congress, along with Republican South Carolina Senator Tim Scott, who was also appointed to fill a vacancy.

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

Cowan graduated from Forbush High School, the first graduate of his high school to attend Duke University. Originally planning to become a doctor, in 1991 he graduated from Duke 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 his appointees' lack of diversity.

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 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." Until his appointment, the U.S. Senate had never had more than one African-American member at one time.

Cowan's Senate 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.

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.

Personal life
He is married to Stacy Cowan. She also is a lawyer. They have two sons and live in Stoughton, Massachusetts.

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