In Memoriam
Hon. William I. Cowin (Ret.)
(1939-2022)
Hon. William I. Cowin (Ret.), JAMS neutral and retired justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court, passed away on August 9, 2022.
Judge Cowin spent a lifetime in public service, beginning with his appointment as Assistant Attorney General under Massachusetts Attorney General Edward W. Brooke, the nation's first African-American state attorney general. A pivotal figure in Judge Cowin's life, Brooke was later elected to the U.S. Senate and Cowin became his legislative aide. Judge Cowin went on to serve as head of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, Secretary of Consumer Affairs and then Secretary of Administration and Finance. He was also a respected trial lawyer who handled complex civil cases before he was appointed to the appeals court and later became a JAMS mediator and arbitrator.
Judge Cowin will be remembered as a kind soul with a wonderful sense of humor and a vast knowledge of both the legal system and the Boston Red Sox. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Judith Cathy Arnold Cowin, a retired justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court; their three children, April, Jackie and William; and eight grandchildren. He will be greatly missed.