Howard Edgar Copeland (January 23, 1944 – April 11, 2019) was an American lawyer and politician from Virginia.

Education and military career

Howard Copeland was raised in

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

. His parents were Hubert Edgar Copeland and Helen Copeland. He attended

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, graduating in 1967, and

officer candidate school An officer candidate school (OCS) is a military school which trains civilians and Enlisted rank, enlisted personnel in order for them to gain a Commission (document), commission as Commissioned officer, officers in the armed forces of a country. ...

at the Coast Guard Reserve Training Center in

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York Cou ...

. During his four years of active military service with the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

, Copeland was a combat information officer aboard the USCGC ''Androscoggin''. Copeland remained a Coast Guard reservist for 22 years, retiring with the rank of captain. While serving in the military, Copeland attended the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associat ...

and

National Defense University The National Defense University (NDU) is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level education, training, and professional development of national security leaders. As ...

, as well as the

University of Virginia School of Law The University of Virginia School of Law (Virginia Law or UVA Law) is the law school of the University of Virginia, a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as part of his "academical v ...

, where he completed a Juris Doctor in 1973.

Legal and political career

Copeland became a special assistant to the attorney general in 1974, prior to working in a Norfolk-based private practice from 1975. He mounted an unsuccessful bid for a seat on the Norfolk City Council in 1978. Copeland ran for political office again in 1980, winning election to the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

, on which he served until losing reelection in 1995. During Copeland's 1995 legislative campaign, he altered a photograph of a bill-signing ceremony, giving the impression that only he was the only state legislator alongside

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

George Allen George Allen may refer to: Politics and law * George E. Allen (1896–1973), American political operative and one-time head coach of the Cumberland University football team * George Allen (Australian politician) (1800–1877), Mayor of Sydney and ...

. Copeland's loss to

Thelma Drake Thelma Day Drake (born November 20, 1949) is an American politician and former member of Congress for Virginia's 2nd congressional district. A Republican, she served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2005 to 2009. Prior to serving in Co ...

, whom he was facing for the second time, was considered a major upset, as the 87th House district was the only constituency in which a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

candidate unseated a Democratic incumbent. Copeland subsequently returned to the practice of law, and was a special justice presiding over legal cases regarding mental health between 2015 and 2019.

Health and death

Copeland was diagnosed with

chordoma Chordoma is a rare slow-growing neoplasm thought to arise from cellular remnants of the notochord. The evidence for this is the location of the tumors (along the neuraxis), the similar immunohistochemical staining patterns, and the demonstration ...

in August 2016, and died of the disease on April 11, 2019, aged 75.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Copeland, Howard 1944 births 2019 deaths Politicians from Norfolk, Virginia Military personnel from Norfolk, Virginia Deaths from cancer in Virginia Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia lawyers United States Coast Guard personnel of the Vietnam War United States Coast Guard captains Naval War College alumni National Defense University alumni University of Virginia School of Law alumni Columbia University alumni United States Coast Guard reservists 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American lawyers