William 'Mo' Cowan is sworn in as U.S. senator from Massachusetts

Source: Masslive.com

Taking the oath of office on his grandmother's bible, William “Mo” Cowan was sworn in as Massachusetts’ junior U.S. senator on Thursday.

Cowan, 43, Massachusetts’ second ever black senator, was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden at noon on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Cowan said in a statement that he is “deeply honored and humbled” to serve as senator. “Even though I will be in the Senate for a short time, I will use that time to do my best, working alongside Senator Warren, to continue the work that Secretary Kerry started and uphold the traditions that he and the late Senator Ted Kennedy established in serving the commonwealth,” Cowan said. “To me, there is nothing more important than maintaining focus on how we can work together in the Senate, the House and on Beacon Hill to fulfill the needs of the people of Massachusetts and to move forward with the important goals that President Barack Obama has set our sights upon.”

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick appointed Cowan, a Democrat, as interim senator to fill the seat that was vacated by John Kerry, who was appointed U.S. Secretary of State. His appointment makes Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren the state’s senior senator after only a month in office.

Read more: http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/02/mo_cowan_is_sworn_in_as_us_sen.html#incart_river_default