After an apprenticeship as a saddler and harness maker in London, Cowie emigrated to Australia in 1840; and, after a spell in Van Diemen's Land, he settled in Geelong, which was then known as Corio.
He established a number of successful commercial ventures, including shops and a mining & shipping agency, and he made his fortune during the Victorian gold rush.
When the Geelong municipality was formed in 1849, he was among those who provided financial securities for the new body to carry out works and topped the poll in the first elections for the council.
He returned to Australia aboard the Schomberg, which was wrecked on its maiden voyage off Port Campbell.
[1][2] Cowie is included in the photographic montage published by Thomas Foster Chuck in 1872 entitled "The Explorers and Early Colonists of Victoria".