William Maurice "Mo" Cowan is an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts in 2013. 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. He declined to run in the 2013 special election to complete the remainder of Kerry's term. He was succeeded by fellow Democrat Ed Markey. He is now a fellow at the Institute of Politics in the Harvard Kennedy School. Cowan was the eighth African-American United States Senator and the second from Massachusetts after Edward Brooke. He was 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. 

April 4th, 1969 in Yadkinville, North Carolina (Age 55)