William L. Copeland (1846 - December 30, 1885) was a police officer, government official, and state legislator in Arkansas. He was born in Ohio and studied at

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...

in Ohio. On March 7, 1865, at the end of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, he joined Company C, 2nd Ohio Cavalry Regiment, of the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

. At the end of the war, he returned to Oberlin College, where he studied from 1867–69. He served in the

Arkansas House of Representatives The Arkansas State House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arkansas General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Arkansas. The House is composed of 100 members elected from an equal amount of constituencies across the ...

from 1873 until 1875 representing Crittenden County. He was appointed assessor of Crittenden County. In 1876 he was the Republican candidate for Arkansas Secretary of State. A letter he wrote to his wife survives. The ''Daily

Arkansas Gazette The ''Arkansas Gazette'' was a newspaper in Little Rock, Arkansas, that was published from 1819 to 1991. It was known as the oldest newspaper west of the Mississippi River. It was located from 1908 until its closing at the now historic Gazette ...

'' described him as "Colored". He was a Republican. Copeland may have been the first

Little Rock ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

police officer killed in the line of duty. Copeland was killed after being assaulted by a jail trusty who was on work release.

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External links

Findagrave entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Copeland, William L. 1846 births 1885 deaths Oberlin College alumni Union Army soldiers Republican Party members of the Arkansas House of Representatives People from Crittenden County, Arkansas Politicians from Little Rock, Arkansas African-American politicians during the Reconstruction Era American police officers killed in the line of duty