Robert Elmer Cowell (June 12, 1924 – January 11, 1960) was an American competition swimmer, who competed for the U.S.

Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where he was a member of the Navy Midshipmen swimming and diving team in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) competition from 1944 to 1946.

The race was supervised by Arthur Price, President of the South Atlantic AAU, and included three official timekeepers.

[7] At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England, in August, he received a silver medal for his second-place performance in the men's 100-meter backstroke, finishing with a time of 1:06.5, only one tenth of a second behind fellow American Allen Stack.

Although Stack was the favorite to win the event, the final heat was much closer than expected as Cowell was on his heels throughout and even led the race at one point.