Edgar Cowan

Edgar Cowan ( born September 19, 1815 Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania; † August 31, 1885 in Greensburg, Pennsylvania ) was an American politician ( Republican). He represented the State of Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate.

Cowan in 1839 graduated from Franklin College in Ohio; then he worked in shipbuilding and as a teacher and studied medicine. This was followed by a successful law school, after which he was admitted to the bar in 1842 and commenced practice in Greensburg.

In 1860, Cowan was elected as a Republican in the U.S. Senate, where he served from March 4, 1861 to March 3, 1867. He endeavored to gain re-election, but was defeated. During his time in the Senate he was chairman of the Patent Committee. After the Civil War, he was appointed U.S. ambassador to Austria by President Andrew Johnson in January 1867; However, he refused the Senate confirmation. Then Cowan again worked as a lawyer.

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