Royal S. Copeland | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Copeland in 1923 | |
| United States Senator fromNew York | |
| In office March 4, 1923 – June 17, 1938 | |
| Preceded by | William M. Calder |
| Succeeded by | James M. Mead |
| Mayor ofAnn Arbor, Michigan | |
| In office 1901–1903 | |
| Preceded by | Gottlob Luick |
| Succeeded by | Arthur Brown |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Royal Samuel Copeland (1868-11-07)November 7, 1868 Dexter, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | June 17, 1938(1938-06-17) (aged 69) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Resting place | Mahwah Cemetery,Mahwah, New Jersey |
| Party | Republican (before 1922) Democratic (1922–1938) |
| Education | Eastern Michigan University University of Michigan |
Royal Samuel Copeland (November 7, 1868 – June 17, 1938) was an American academic,homeopathic physician, andpolitician. He held elected offices in bothMichigan (as aRepublican) andNew York (as aDemocrat),[1] and served as aUnited States senator from New York from 1923 to 1938.
Born inDexter, Michigan, to parents Roscoe P. Copeland and Frances J. Holmes, Royal Copeland graduated fromDexter High School in 1885 and attended Michigan State Normal College (nowEastern Michigan University).[2] In 1888, he taught school inSylvan Township, Michigan.[3]
He graduated in 1889 from theUniversity of Michigan inAnn Arbor with a degree in medicine.[2] After graduate studies in Europe, Copeland practiced medicine inBay City, Michigan, from 1890 to 1895.[2] Copeland was admitted to the Homeopathy Society of Michigan on May 21, 1890, and was made secretary of the society in October 1893.[2] He was a professor ofOphthalmology andOtology in theUniversity of Michigan Medical School's Homeopathic Department from 1895 until 1908.[2]
During his time as a medical professor inAnn Arbor, Copeland was active in municipal politics.[2] ARepublican, he served asmayor of Ann Arbor from 1901 to 1903.[2] He was president of the Ann Arbor Board of Education from 1907 to 1908.[2] He also served for several years as president of the Ann Arbor Board of Park Commissioners.[2]
On July 15, 1908, Copeland married Frances Spalding. The same year, Copeland moved toNew York City to take a position as dean at theNew York Homeopathic Medical College and Flower Hospital.[4] Copeland left his position as dean in 1918 in order to serve as President of theNew York City Board of Health. He was appointed to this position by MayorJohn Hylan in May 1918.[5]
In September 28, Copeland acknowledged that theSpanish flu outbreak was seriously impacting the city, and possibly anepidemic.[5] However, he decided to permit motion picture theaters to remain open. He considered closing the theaters to have little effect in reducing the epidemic as long as the crowded transportation lines continued to operate.[5][6] Copeland also left the city's schools open, arguing it was better, "to have the children under the constant observation of qualified persons than to close the schools". New York City,Chicago andNew Haven, Connecticut were the notable exceptions of most cities closing their own schools during the epidemic.[7]
In December 1918, he amended the city health code to require that landlords maintain heat in apartments they rented.[8]: 25 This had been a major issue in light of coal shortage earlier that year, numerous eviction cases around failure to provide heat, and the widespread1918–1920 New York City rent strikes.[9][10]: 25
During the epidemic, Copeland organized a system of emergency health districts to provide localized care. If individuals who lived in apartments or private residences contracted the virus, they werequarantined and care was provided to them in their house. However, if individuals who lived intenements orboarding houses contracted the virus, they were moved to city hospitals.[5] Hospitals soon became overcrowded and Copeland then worked with New York's most famous public health nurse,Lillian Wald, to extend home care to the tenement neighborhoods as well.[11]
Copeland served a total of five terms of the New York City Board of Health, before taking office as a United States senator in 1923.[12][13]
In1922, Copeland ran as aDemocrat for theU.S. Senate, defeating first-termRepublican SenatorWilliam M. Calder.Franklin D. Roosevelt served as his honorary campaign manager for this election.[14][15] Copeland was re-elected in1928 over Republican challengerAlanson B. Houghton, the U.S. ambassador to Britain and a formerU.S. Representative. Copeland was again re-elected in1934, this time defeating future U.S. CongressmanE. Harold Cluett.[16]
During his three terms in the Senate, Copeland served as chairman of theU.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration from 1933 to 1936 and chairman of the Committee on Commerce from 1935 to 1938. In 1935-1936 Copeland served as chairman of the highly controversialCopeland Committee, which gave a scathing review of air traffic safety and the operation of the Bureau of Air Commerce. Copeland served as primary author and sponsor of theFederal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 which entrenched special protections forhomeopaths. He was the primary sponsor of theCopeland "Anti-kickback" Act, which targetedkickbacks to federal contractors, subcontractors and officials from construction employees.[17]
Copeland was close to the regular Democratic organization in New York, the boss-ledTammany Hall. He was a conservative Democrat and not especially supportive of theNew Deal policies of his fellow New Yorker,Franklin Roosevelt. He was also a friend ofHarry S. Truman when they both served in the U.S. Senate. Copeland was known for his successful efforts to bringair conditioning to the Senate.
In July 1937, Copeland proposed two rider amendments to the Interstate Commerce Act which would add an anti-lynching bill to the legislation. Both failed to pass due to the majority of Senate Democrats voting to table them.[18][19][20]
In1937 he lost theDemocratic nomination forMayor of New York City to JudgeJeremiah T. Mahoney, and theRepublican nomination to incumbent Republican MayorFiorello LaGuardia.[21]
Copeland died at his apartment inWashington, DC on June 17, 1938.[1] According to news reports, he died of acirculatory collapse brought on by overwork during the longer than usual Senate session that ended on the day of his death.[1] His funeral was at his home inSuffern, New York.[22] He was buried at Mahwah Cemetery inMahwah, New Jersey.[22]
| Year | Office | Subject | Party | Votes | Portion | Opponent | Party | Votes | Portion | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1922 | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from New York | Royal S. Copeland | Democratic | 1,276,667 | 49.5% | William M. Calder | Republican | 995,421 | 38.6% | ||
| 1928 | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from New York | Royal S. Copeland | Democratic | 2,084,273 | 46.7% | Alanson B. Houghton | Republican | 2,034,014 | 45.6% | ||
| 1934 | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from New York | Royal S. Copeland | Democratic | 2,046,377 | 52.0% | E. Harold Cluett | Republican | 1,363,440 | 34.7% | ||
| 1937 | Democratic nomination forMayor of New York City | Royal S. Copeland | Democratic | c. 200,000 | 2/5 | Jeremiah T. Mahoney | Democratic | c. 400,000 | 3/5 | ||
| Republican nomination forMayor of New York City | Royal S. Copeland | 1/3 | Fiorello H. LaGuardia | Republican | 2/3 |
Copeland was a member of several honor societies and fraternal organizations, including thePi Gamma Mu international honor society in social sciences, which he served in various positions,Delta Kappa Epsilon, theNew York Athletic Club, the National Democratic Club, theElks, theFreemasons, the Ann Arbor Commandery No. 13, Knights Templar and Moslem Shrine Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, both in Ann Arbor, theShriners, theFriendly Sons of St. Patrick, theSons of the American Revolution and the Eugenics Committee of the United States of America.Israel W. Charny; Rouben Paul Adalian; Steven L. Jacobs; Eric Markusen; Marc I. Sherman (1999).The Encyclopedia of Genocide. Oxford: ABC-CLIO. p. 220.ISBN 9780874369281.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
At various times Copeland served as president, vice president, and secretary of the Michigan Homeopathic Society; president, the American Ophthalmological, Otological, and Laryngological Society; president, American Institute of Homeopathy; vice president, the American Public Health Association; member, the National Board of Control ofEpworth League; president, the Michigan Epworth League; member, the Tuberculosis Commission of Michigan; trustee, Michigan State Tuberculosis Sanitarium; and three-time elected member, the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
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This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.New York did come out better than any other city in the nation
| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromNew York (Class 1) 1922,1928,1934 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan 1901–1903 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 1) from New York 1923–1938 Served alongside:James W. Wadsworth, Jr.,Robert F. Wagner | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 3 | ||
| Commerce and Manufactures (1816–1825) | | |
|---|---|---|
| Commerce (1825–1947) | ||
| Interstate Commerce (1887–1947) | ||
| Interstate and Foreign Commerce/Commerce (1947–1977) | ||
| Commerce, Science, and Transportation (1977–present) | ||
| Rules (1870–1947) | | |
|---|---|---|
| Rules and Administration (1947–present) | ||
