Carl Cowl
American labour activist, Yiddish and music scholar and literary agent
About Carl Cowl
Lived 1900 – 1997. Carl Cowl was an American trade unionist and recorder player.
Carl Cowl (1900-1997) was an American labour activist, Yiddish and music scholar and literary agent.
Cowl became involved in labor activism at the age of thirteen, joining the Industrial Workers of the World. Impressed by the Russian Revolution he became a full-time organiser for the Communist Party of the United States of America when it was formed in 1919.
Cowl remained a Marxist all his life and in later years came to physically resemble Karl Marx himself. When visiting Marx's grave in Highgate Cemetery a schoolgirl stopped him to ask if he was, in fact, Karl Marx. "I told her no, I wasn't, that Marx was a good deal more important than I have ever been" he later recounted.
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Important facts
People in Carl Cowl's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Carl Cowl's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Carl Cowl?
American labour activist, Yiddish and music scholar and literary agent
When was Carl Cowl born?
Carl Cowl was born in 1900 in Minnesota.
When did Carl Cowl die?
Carl Cowl died in 1997.
What was Carl Cowl's occupation?
Carl Cowl was a trade unionist and recorder player.
What nationality was Carl Cowl?
Carl Cowl was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Carl Cowl. https://biography.guide/carl-cowl/
MLA: "Carl Cowl." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/carl-cowl/.
Chicago: "Carl Cowl." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/carl-cowl/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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