Barbara Ann Rowan facts for kids

Barbara Ann Rowan (born September 6, 1938 – died October 31, 2020) was an important American lawyer. She made history as the first Black woman to work as a prosecutor in the office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Early Life and Education

Barbara Ann Rowan was born in Upper Manhattan, New York, on September 6, 1938. She was the only child of Norman B. Rowan and Clara (Obey) Rowan. Her parents worked together in her father's accounting business.

Clara was from Philadelphia, and Norman had moved to the U.S. from Jamaica. He became a citizen and raised Barbara in a West Indian community in Harlem. Some of her extended family members were also lawyers or judges.

Barbara went to the Dalton School, a private school that started including students of all races in the 1940s. She finished school in 1956.

She then went to Barnard College, where she studied Spanish and also spoke fluent Italian. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1960. She also received a special certificate in Language and Literature from the University of Madrid.

Next, she decided to study law. She joined the evening program at New York University School of Law. During the day, she worked as a court interpreter. She earned her law degree, called a JD, in 1968.

Legal Career Highlights

Barbara Rowan started her law career as a defense attorney. This meant she worked to defend people accused of crimes. She worked with groups like Community Action for Legal Services.

However, she often felt more sympathy for the victims of the crimes. One day, a judge asked her if she would be interested in becoming a prosecutor. A prosecutor is a lawyer who works for the government to prove that someone has committed a crime.

Barbara said yes, and soon she was hired as an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) for the Criminal Division. This made her the first Black woman to be a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York. When she joined, she was one of only two women lawyers in that division.

Later in the 1970s, she worked for the United States House of Representatives ethics committee. She helped investigate a political scandal known as Koreagate. After that, she became an assistant director at the Federal Trade Commission.

In 1980, she left government work and started her own business called Rowan Associates. It was a private investigations company. Her husband, who used to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), joined her a few years later.

In 1982, Barbara attended a meeting for lawyers in northern Virginia. She was the only Black attorney there. Something upsetting happened at the meeting, which led to the creation of a new group called the Northern Virginia Black Attorneys Association. This group was formed to support Black lawyers in the area.

In the mid-1980s, Barbara was part of the President's Commission on Organized Crime. This commission looked into different types of organized crime.

Personal Life

In 1971, a newspaper called the New York Amsterdam News wrote about Barbara Rowan. It said she was a great swimmer and dancer. At that time, she was living in Harlem with her parents.

In 1972, she married Harold W. Gossett II. He was an FBI agent whom she had met through her work as a prosecutor.

Barbara Rowan passed away on October 31, 2020, at the age of 82. She died from COVID-19 at a hospital in Arlington County, Virginia.