Joseph W. Cowgill

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Joseph William Cowgill (April 24, 1908 – November 19, 1986) was a Democratic politician from Camden, New Jersey. He served in the New Jersey Senate from 1956 to 1964 and was the Senate Minority Leader from 1959 to 1964. He also served as a Camden County Freeholder from 1953 to 1956.

Cowgill was born in Camden and graduated from Camden High School in 1925. He earned a degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1929 and a law degree in 1933. He entered state politics in the New Jersey General Assembly representing Camden County in 1940. He did not seek re-election in 1941 and instead ran for Camden County Surrogate. He resigned as Surrogate in 1943 to join the U.S. Navy in World War II. After the war, he was Assistant Camden County Prosecutor in 1945 and Camden County Counsel from 1947 to 1953 and again from 1957 to 1960. He was a delegate to New Jersey's 1947 Constitutional Convention and an Alternate Delegate to the 1956 Democratic National Convention.

In 1952, Cowgill was elected to the Camden County Board of Chosen Freeholders. He left that post in 1955 to run for the State Senate after Bruce A. Wallace retired. He narrowly defeated Republican William G. Rohrer in 1956, and won re-election against Rohrer in 1959. He led the Senate as Minority Leader from 1959 to 1964. In 1963 he was defeated for re-election by Republican Frederick Scholz.

Cowgill died on November 19, 1986, at age 78.