William "Mo" Cowan Appointed To U.S. Senate

William "Mo" Cowan

Two Blacks in U.S. Senate For First Time In History

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has appointed his former chief of staff, William “Mo” Cowan, to take the place of departing Senator John Kerry. Kerry became the Secretary of State this week.

Cowan will serve along with Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina. Cowan will become only the eighth African American U.S. Senator in U.S. history.  There has never been two African Americans serving in the United States Senate at the same time in American history. 

There will be a total of 44 African American members of Congress after Cowan is sworn-in.

Though Cowan is a historic pick as he joins the Senate, he will likely only serve in the institution for a very short time. The special election for Kerry’s Senate seat is on June 25.  (Politics 365)