Leopold Copeland Parker Cowper (March 1811 – July 17, 1875) served as (seventh) lieutenant governor of the Restored government of Virginia from November 1863 until June 1865 and then as the eighth

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

of the Commonwealth of Virginia from June 1865 until September 1869 under Governors John Letcher, William Smith, Francis Harrison Pierpont and

Henry H. Wells Henry Horatio Wells (September 17, 1823February 12, 1900), a Michigan lawyer and Union Army officer in the American Civil War, succeeded Francis Harrison Pierpont as the appointed provisional governor of Virginia from 1868 to 1869 during Recons ...

Early life

Cowper was born in Isle of Wight County, Virginia. His parents separated a year after his birth. In January 1817 his mother, Ann Pierce Parker Cowper, daughter of former congressman

Josiah Parker Josiah Parker (May 11, 1751March 11, 1810) was an American politician, Revolutionary War officer and Virginia planter who served in the United States House of Representatives from Virginia in the First through Sixth United States Congresses as ...

, was granted a legal separation by the Virginia General Assembly, and she received legal custody of her children. Cowper practiced law in Portsmouth and Norfolk County. A Whig, he served two consecutive terms in 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 ...

, 1847–1848 and 1848–1849.

Lieutenant Governor

In May 1863 Cowper was selected as candidate for lieutenant governor of the Restored government to replace a candidate from Berkeley County who had withdrawn. Although the candidates for governor and attorney general were unopposed, Cowper was challenged by Gilbert S. Miner, whom he defeated in the election held on May 28, 1863. Although Cowper was not slated to assume his new office until January 1864, Governor Francis Harrison Pierpont appointed him lieutenant governor on November 17, 1863, after the sitting lieutenant governor,

Daniel Polsley Daniel Haymond Polsley (November 28, 1803 – October 14, 1877) was a nineteenth-century lawyer, judge, editor and politician who helped form the State of West Virginia and served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Early and fa ...

, resigned. As lieutenant governor, Cowper presided over a state senate that consisted at full strength of six members, representing the districts of Accomack and

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

Counties,

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

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Elizabeth City County Elizabeth City County was a county in southeastern Virginia from 1634 until 1952 when it was merged into the city of Hampton. Originally created in 1634 as Elizabeth River Shire, it was one of eight shires created in the Virginia Colony by order ...

and the city of Hampton, Loudoun County, the city of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, and

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Counties.

Later life

Cowper died in 1875 and was buried at Macclesfield, his family's estate at Smithfield in Isle of Wight County.

Sources

* John T. Kneebone et al., eds., ''

Dictionary of Virginia Biography The ''Dictionary of Virginia Biography'' (''DVB'') is a multivolume biographical reference work published by the Library of Virginia that covers aspects of Virginia's history and culture since 1607. The work was intended to run for a projected fou ...

'' (Richmond: The Library of Virginia, 1998- ), 3:497-499. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cowper, Leopold Copeland Parker People from Isle of Wight County, Virginia 1811 births 1875 deaths Lieutenant Governors of Virginia Members of the Virginia House of Delegates Virginia lawyers Virginia Whigs 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century American politicians