| LC control no. | no 97067269 |
|---|---|
| Descriptive conventions | rda |
| Personal name heading | Copeland, Royal S. (Royal Samuel), 1868-1938 |
| Variant(s) | Copeland, Royal Samuel, 1868-1938 |
| Associated country | United States |
| Located | Michigan New York (State) Washington (D.C.) |
| Birth date | 1868-11-07 |
| Death date | 1938-06-17 |
| Place of birth | Dexter (Mich.) |
| Place of death | New York (N.Y.) |
| Field of activity | Legislation Legislators |
| Found in | Debate on prohibition, 1924: t.p. (Royal S. Copeland) OCLC, Oct. 22, 1997 (hdg.: Copeland, Royal Samuel, 1868-1938; usage: Royal S. Copeland) Royal Samuel Copeland (November 7, 1868 - June 17, 1938), a United States Senator from New York from 1923 until 1938, was an academic, homeopathic physician, and politician. He held elected offices in both Michigan (as a Republican) and New York (as a Democrat). Born in Dexter, Michigan, to parents Roscoe P. Copeland and Frances J. Holmes, Royal Copeland graduated from the Michigan State Normal College (now Eastern Michigan University) with a bachelor's degree. In 1888, he taught school in Sylvan Township, Michigan. He graduated in 1889 from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor with a degree in medicine. After graduate studies in Europe, Copeland practiced medicine in Bay City, Michigan, from 1890 to 1895. Copeland was admitted to the Homeopathy Society of Michigan on May 21, 1890, and was made secretary of the society in October 1893. He was a professor of Ophthalmology and Otology in the University of Michigan Medical School's Homeopathic Department from 1895 until 1908. On July 15, 1908, Copeland married Frances Spalding. The same year, Copeland moved to New York City to take a position as dean at the New York Homeopathic Medical College and Flower Hospital, a position he left in 1918 to serve as President of the New York City Board of Health. He gained much positive public attention for keeping New York City residents calm during the influenza outbreak of 1918. In 1922, Copeland ran as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate, defeating first-term Republican Senator William M. Calder. Franklin D. Roosevelt served as his honorary campaign manager for this election. Copeland was re-elected in 1928 over Republican challenger Alanson B. Houghton, the U.S. Ambassador to Britain and a former U.S. Representative. Copeland was again re-elected in 1934, this time defeating future U.S. Congressman E. Harold Cluett. During his three terms in the Senate, Copeland served as chairman of the U.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 controversial Copeland 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 the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938 which entrenched special protections for homeopaths. He was the primary sponsor of the Copeland "Anti-kickback" Act, which targeted kickbacks to federal contractors, subcontractors and officials from construction employees. Senator Copeland died in office on June 17, 1938. His funeral was at his home in Suffern, New York and he was buried in Mahwah, New Jersey. |
| Associated language | eng |
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