Joe McGowan, Jr. papers, 1963-2012

Joe McGowan, Jr. was an American journalist best known for his career as a foreign correspondent with the Associated Press (AP). He began working in journalism at the age of thirteen as a sportswriter for the Rock Springs Daily Rocket-Miner, and by fifteen, he was on the sports staff of the Wyoming Eagle in Cheyenne. He graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1952 with a degree in journalism and served in the U.S. Navy from 1953 to 1955. During his time at UW, he reported for the University News Service and wrote a political column for The Branding Iron, which sparked his interest in political reporting. After a short tenure as editor of the Torrington Program, he joined the AP bureau in Cheyenne, marking the start of a long career with the news agency that included assignments both in the United States and abroad.

McGowan made significant contributions to international reporting, including covering the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, during which he personally met Fidel Castro. He was also present for major events such as the death of Bolivia’s president and the 1970 earthquake in Peru. From 1965 to 1968, he served as the AP bureau chief in India, during which time he reconnected with former University of Wyoming professor and then-U.S. Senator Gale McGee. McGowan became head of the Colorado/Wyoming Bureau in 1978, a position he held until his retirement in 1997. In 2012, he published a memoir titled From Fidel Castro to Mother Teresa, reflecting on his experiences as a foreign correspondent in the 1960s. He married his wife, Doris, in 1982 and had two children.