Edward Copland
Mayor of Brooklyn, New York
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edward Copland[a] (30 May 1793 – 18 June 1859) was an American businessman and politician from Brooklyn, New York. A Whig, he served as Brooklyn's city clerk from 1844 to 1849 and the city's mayor from 1849 to 1850.
Edward Copland | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Brooklyn, New York | |
| In office 23 April 1849 – 22 April 1850 | |
| Preceded by | Francis B. Stryker |
| Succeeded by | Samuel Smith |
| City Clerk of Brooklyn, New York | |
| In office 6 May 1844 – 22 April 1849 | |
| Preceded by | Alfred G. Stevens |
| Succeeded by | William M. Boerum |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 May 1793 Manhattan, New York, US |
| Died | 18 June 1859 (aged 66) Brooklyn, New York, US |
| Resting place | Cemetery of the Evergreens, Brooklyn, New York, US |
| Party | Whig (before 1854) Republican (from 1854) |
| Spouse(s) |
Jane Ann Patten
(m. 1818–1829)Anna E. Clarke (m. 1850–1859) |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Columbia College |
| Occupation | Businessman |
Early life
Edward Copland was born in Manhattan, New York on 30 May 1793, the son of George Copland and Margaret (Robison) Copland.[1] He was raised and educated in Manhattan and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College in 1809.[2] He subsequently settled in Brooklyn, where he established himself as a retail grocer.[3]
Family
In May 1818, Copland married Jane Ann Patten.[4] They were married until her death in 1829 and were the parents of a son, John Mount Copland, and a daughter, Jane Copland.[5][6][7] In December 1850, Copland married Anna E. Clarke.[8] They were married until his death, and she died in June 1899.[9] With his second wife, Copland was the father of a son, Edward Copland Jr.[10]
Career
Copland came to public notice in the 1820s, when he made speeches on behalf of the Greeks during the Greek War of Independence.[3] In the early 1830s, he spoke in favor of the Poles during the November Uprising against the Russian Empire.[3] Copland became active in politics as a Whig and served as chairman of the party in Brooklyn.[3] When Brooklyn was a village, he served as a trustee and as president of the board of trustees.[3] In 1834, he declined a Whig nomination for a seat in the United States House of Representatives.[3] Brooklyn was incorporated as a city in 1834, and Copland served as municipal judge in 1839 and 1840.[3]
In 1844, Copland was appointed Brooklyn's city clerk, and he served until 1849, when he was elected mayor.[3] He was the successful Whig nominee for the mayoralty in 1849 and served a one year term, April 1849 to April 1850.[3] After leaving the mayor's office, Copland served for several years as a member of the city's board of education, and he became a Republican after the mid-1850s demise of the Whig Party.[3][11] He continued his business ventures, including real estate speculation; as Brooklyn became more urbanized, he was one of the purchasers of the Lefferts Farm, which he subdivided into several hundred building lots and sold at auction.[12] In the 1850s, he served as president of the Central Bank of Brooklyn.[13] Other enterprises in which he took part included the Lafayette Fire Insurance Company, of which he was a director.[14] The Cemetery of the Evergreens was incorporated in 1849, and Copland was a longtime trustee and vice president.[15]
Copland died in Brooklyn on 18 June 1859.[11] He was buried at Cemetery of the Evergreens.[16]