Lee Cowan Biography

Lee Cowan is an award winning journalist currently working as a national correspondent and substitute anchor for “CBS News Sunday Morning.” His reporting also appears on all CBS News broadcasts and platforms. He rejoined the network in 2011.

Lee Cowan Career

Cowan is based in Los Angeles, California and has conducted interviews with a variety of news and entertainment personalities including First Lady Michelle Obama, pop star Bruno Mars, comedy great Carol Burnett and tennis legend Billie Jean King. In addition he’s covered issues ranging from the nation’s public defender system, the water crisis on the Navajo Nation, and childhood hunger.

Moreover, Cowan has spent more than twenty years of his nearly 30-year career at CBS News spread over two periods. He covered the September 11 terrorist attacks, the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the 2006 conflict in Beirut and the 2006 tsunami in Indonesia.

Prior to rejoining CBS News, Cowan worked as a national correspondent for NBC News from 2007 -2011 where he was reporting for the “NBC Nightly News,” “Today” and MSNBC. He was also was assigned to cover the campaign and election of President Barack Obama; the tsunami in Japan in 2011, the crisis in Libya, and the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Lee Cowan CBS News

Before NBC, Cowan served as a correspondent for CBS Newspath, CBS News’ 24-hour news service, and was a researcher for CBS News’ “CBS News Nightwatch” and then for the “CBS Evening News” in Washington, D.C from 1996-2006.

His reporting career began in local news, serving as an anchor and reporter for WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to that, he was an anchor and reporter WWMT-TV, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and a weekend anchor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California. Before joining KCOY-TV, Cowan held positions as news director and anchor at NBC affiliate KIEM-TV Eureka, California

He was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. Cowan graduated with a Bachelors Degree Double Major in Communications and Speech Communications from University of Washington in 1988. Cowan tied the knot with his wife, Molly Palmer, a television associate producer and daughter of television news correspondent John Palmer and writer Nancy Doyle Palmer in April 2012. They live in Santa Monica and are parents to two sons, Kevin and Harrison Leland Cowan.

Lee Cowan Age

Cowan was born Leland P. Cowan in Salt Lake City, Utah on 1 May, 1965 and is now 59 years old as of 2024.

Lee Cowan Height

He stands at an approximate height of 6 feet 1 inch tall.

Lee Cowan Education

Cowan graduated with a Bachelors Degree Double Major in Communications and Speech Communications from University of Washington in 1988.

Lee Cowan Family

He was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. His parents are Leland B. Cowan, a surgical and radiation oncologist, and Constance W. Cowan.

Lee Cowan Wife

Cowan tied the knot with his wife, Molly Palmer, a television associate producer and daughter of television news correspondent John Palmer and writer Nancy Doyle Palmer in April 2012. They live in Santa Monica.

Lee Cowan Children

He is father of two sons, Kevin and Harrison Leland Cowan.