Henry Coppée (October 13, 1821 – March 22, 1895) was an American educator and author. He was the first president of

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

Early life and education

Coppée, of French and Haitian descent, was born in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, and grew up on

Bryan Street Bryan Street is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Bay Street to the north and Congress Street to the south, it runs for about from a cul-de-sac in the west to East Broad Street in the east. Originally kn ...

as a neighbor of historian Charles Seton Henry Hardee and his family.''Reminiscences of Charles Seton Henry Hardee'', Martha Gallaudet Waring, ''The Georgia Historical Quarterly'',

JSTOR JSTOR ( ; short for ''Journal Storage'') is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary sources founded in 1994. Originally containing digitized back issues of academic journals, it now encompasses books and other primary source ...

(1928), p. 161 Coppée studied at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

for two years, and then worked as a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing i ...

. He graduated from the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

, in 1845. He completed a Master's degree at the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

in 1848. He earned his law degree from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

and

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

of New York in 1866.

Career

Military and early education career

Coppée served in the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

as a lieutenant and was brevetted captain for gallantry at the battles of Contreras and

Churubusco Churubusco is a neighbourhood of Mexico City. Under the current territorial division of the Mexican Federal District, it is a part of the borough () of Coyoacán. It is centred on the former Franciscan monastery ''(ex convento de Churubusco)'' a ...

. During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, he edited the ''United States Service Magazine''. He was assistant professor of

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

at West Point from 1848 to 1849, and then principal assistant professor of geography, history, and ethics from 1850 to 1855. He resigned from the Army on June 30, 1855. After resigning from the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

, he was the professor of

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

and history at the

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, from 1855 to 1866. In 1856, Coppée was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS) is an American scholarly organization and learned society founded in 1743 in Philadelphia that promotes knowledge in the humanities and natural sciences through research, professional meetings, publicat ...

. He was an officer for the

Aztec Club of 1847 The Aztec Club of 1847 is a military society founded in 1847 by United States Army officers of the Mexican–American War. It is a male-only hereditary organization with membership of those who can trace a direct ancestral connection "based on ma ...

, serving as a vice president from 1885 to 1887; and as president from 1887 to 1888.

Lehigh University

In 1866, Coppée was selected by

Asa Packer Asa Packer (December 29, 1805May 17, 1879) was an American businessman who pioneered railroad construction, was active in Pennsylvania politics, and founded Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was a conservative and religious man who ...

to serve as the first president of

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton and Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Bethle ...

; he held this position for nine years, until 1875. He also served as the university's president ''pro tempore'' twice. Following the resignation of Lehigh's second president John M. Leavitt in 1880, he served in this capacity for several months. Later, following the death of Robert A. Lamberton in September 1893, he again served in this capacity until his own death on March 22, 1895. During Coppée's tenure, the university underwent extensive development, including the construction of a number of new buildings and the expansion of the campus. A Moravian church on Packer Avenue was remodeled into Christmas Hall, a house for the president was erected, and Packer Hall, the university center, was built. Coppée lectured in history, logic, rhetoric, political economy, and

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

. Lehigh University's Coppee Hall, built in 1883, was named for him; it was first a gymnasium, later the home of the Department of Arts and Science, and now houses the university's Journalism and Communication Department.

Personal life

He was a Christian, and compiled ''Songs of Praise in the Christian Centuries''.

Death

Coppée died March 22, 1895 at the age of 73. He was survived by his wife, Julie (nee de Witt), and four daughters and one son.

Selected works

* ''Elements of Logic: Designed as a Manual of Instruction'' (Philadelphia: E.H. Butler & Co., 1858) * ''Elements of Rhetoric: Designed as a Manual of Instruction'' (Philadelphia: E.H. Butler & Co., 1859) * ''Gallery of Famous English and American Poets'' (Philadelphia: E.H. Butler & Co., 1859) * ''A Gallery of Distinguished English and American Female Poets'' (Philadelphia: E.H. Butler & Co., 1860) * ''The Field Manual for Battalion Drill'' (Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott & Co., 1862) * ''Grant and His Campaigns: A Military Biography'' (New York: Charles B. Richardson, 1866) * ''Elements of Logic: Designed as a Manual of Instruction'' (Revised Edition. New York: American Book Company, 1872) * ''A History of the Civil War in America'' (Philadelphia: Porter and Coates, 1875) * ''History of the Conquest of Spain by the Arab-Moors'' (Boston: Little, Brown, & Company, 1881) * ''General Thomas'' (New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1893)

Notes

References

External links

* *
Henry Coppée Letters
Available online through Lehigh University'
I Remain: A Digital Archive of Letters, Manuscripts, and Ephemera
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coppee, Henry 1821 births 1895 deaths 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American educators American military personnel of the Mexican–American War American people of French descent Members of the Aztec Club of 1847 Presidents of Lehigh University University of Pennsylvania faculty Writers from Savannah, Georgia Yale University alumni American Christians Members of the American Philosophical Society