Cowen was born in Melbourne in 1919 into a Jewish family named Cohen, the son of Bernard Cohen … See more

In 1951 Cowen returned to Australia and became dean of the law faculty at the University of Melbourne, a post he held until 1966 where he appointed, and worked with Francis Patrick Donovan. During these years he w… See more

When Sir John Kerr's turbulent period of office as Governor-General ended with his early resignation in 1977, the Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser, offered Cowen the post. He was in some ways a perfect choice. He … See more

From 1982 to 1990 Cowen was Provost of Oriel College, Oxford. After his retirement he returned to Australia and became active in Jewish community affairs in Melbourne. He also pursued a range of other interests, including s… See more

On 7 June 1945, Cowen married Anna Wittner (5 July 1925 – 10 June 2022) and had four children, Shimon, Yosef, Kate and Ben. His son, Rabbi Shimon Cowen, is Director of the Institute for Judaism and Civilization … See more