A portrait of former Massachusetts Sen. William “Mo” Cowan, a beloved member of the Northeastern University community, now lives in the Boston campus’s Law Library. Thursday’s unveiling of the oil painting, which features Cowan in his characteristic smiling profile, brought dignitaries from far and wide to the Boston campus to pay tribute to a man who helped shape Massachusetts state politics.
“I’m so proud of you,” said former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who worked closely with the Northeastern graduate. “I think I speak for all of us here … in saying how high our hopes remain for the things that you will do, and the contributions of the kind that you have made, for those you will make.” Cowan held several top roles under Patrick, serving as his chief legal counsel, chief of staff and senior adviser. He graduated from Northeastern’s School of Law in 1994.
Cowan’s entry into national politics was somewhat abrupt. When U.S. Sen. John Kerry stepped down in 2013 to join the Obama administration, Patrick tapped Cowan to fill the vacant Massachusetts seat that Kerry had held for 28 years. Since then, he’s built a career spanning public service, law and business — now serving as chief legal and external affairs officer at Devoted Health, a fast-growing, tech-driven health care company.
