Edward Copland

Edward Copland
Mayor of Brooklyn, New York
In office 23 April 1849 – 22 April 1850
Preceded by	Francis B. Stryker
Succeeded by	Samuel Smith
City Clerk of Brooklyn, New York
In office 6 May 1844 – 22 April 1849
Preceded by	Alfred G. Stevens
Succeeded by	William M. Boerum
Personal details
Born	(1793-05-30)30 May 1793 Manhattan, New York, US
Died	18 June 1859(1859-06-18) (aged 66) Brooklyn, New York, US
Resting place	Cemetery of the Evergreens, Brooklyn, New York, US
Party	Whig (before 1854) Republican (from 1854)
Spouse(s)	Jane Ann Patten ​ ​ (m. 1818⁠–⁠1829)​ Anna E. Clarke ​ (m. 1850⁠–⁠1859)​
Children	3
Education	Columbia College
Occupation	Businessman

Edward Copland^[a] (30 May 1793 – 18 June 1859) was an American businessman and politician from Brooklyn, New York. A Whig, he served as Brooklyn's city clerk from 1844 to 1849 and the city's mayor from 1849 to 1850.

Early life

Edward Copland was born in Manhattan, New York on 30 May 1793, the son of George Copland and Margaret (Robison) Copland.^[1] He was raised and educated in Manhattan and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia College in 1809.^[2] He subsequently settled in Brooklyn, where he established himself as a retail grocer.^[3]

Family

In May 1818, Copland married Jane Ann Patten.^[4] They were married until her death in 1829 and were the parents of a son, John Mount Copland, and a daughter, Jane Copland.^[5][6][7] In December 1850, Copland married Anna E. Clarke.^[8] They were married until his death, and she died in June 1899.^[9] With his second wife, Copland was the father of a son, Edward Copland Jr.^[10]

Career

Copland came to public notice in the 1820s, when he made speeches on behalf of the Greeks during the Greek War of Independence.^[3] In the early 1830s, he spoke in favor of the Poles during the November Uprising against the Russian Empire.^[3] Copland became active in politics as a Whig and served as chairman of the party in Brooklyn.^[3] When Brooklyn was a village, he served as a trustee and as president of the board of trustees.^[3] In 1834, he declined a Whig nomination for a seat in the United States House of Representatives.^[3] Brooklyn was incorporated as a city in 1834, and Copland served as municipal judge in 1839 and 1840.^[3]

In 1844, Copland was appointed Brooklyn's city clerk, and he served until 1849, when he was elected mayor.^[3] He was the successful Whig nominee for the mayoralty in 1849 and served a one year term, April 1849 to April 1850.^[3] After leaving the mayor's office, Copland served for several years as a member of the city's board of education, and he became a Republican after the mid-1850s demise of the Whig Party.^[3][11] He continued his business ventures, including real estate speculation; as Brooklyn became more urbanized, he was one of the purchasers of the Lefferts Farm, which he subdivided into several hundred building lots and sold at auction.^[12] In the 1850s, he served as president of the Central Bank of Brooklyn.^[13] Other enterprises in which he took part included the Lafayette Fire Insurance Company, of which he was a director.^[14] The Cemetery of the Evergreens was incorporated in 1849, and Copland was a longtime trustee and vice president.^[15]

Copland died in Brooklyn on 18 June 1859.^[11] He was buried at Cemetery of the Evergreens.^[16]

References

1. "U.S. Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989, Baptism Record for Edward Copeland". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. 30 June 1793. p. 300. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
2. "At the annual Commencement of Columbia College held on Wednesday last..." The Evening Post. New York, New York. 8 August 1809. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Stiles, Henry M., ed. (1884). The Civil, Political, Professional and Ecclesiastical History, and Commercial and Industrial Record of the County of Kings and the City of Brooklyn, N. Y. from 1683 to 1884. Vol. I. New York: W. W. Munsell & Co. p. 152 – via Google Books.
4. "U.S. Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989, Marriage Entry for Edward Copland and Jane Ann Patten". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. 31 May 1818. p. 145. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
5. "Died: Jane Ann, Consort of Mrs. Edward Copland". New-York Evening Post. New York City, New York. 30 October 1829. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "1850 United States Federal Census, Entry for Edward Copland Family". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLN. 14 September 1850. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
7. "Massachusetts Marriage Records, 1840-1915, Entry for John M. Copland and Abby R. Annable". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. 22 November 1853. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
8. "Married: Hon. Edward Copland and Miss Anna E. Clarke". Brooklyn Evening Star. Brooklyn, New York. 17 December 1850. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Died: Anna E. Copland". The Daily Standard Union. Brooklyn, New York. 15 June 1899. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "New York State 1855 Census, Entry for Edward Copland Family". Ancestry.com. Lehi, Utah: Ancestry.com, LLC. 29 June 1855. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
11. "Decease of Edward Copland". Brooklyn Evening Star. Brooklyn. 20 June 1859. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
12. Wellman, Judith (2014). Brooklyn's Promised Land: The Free Black Community of Weeksville, New York. New York: New York University Press. pp. 29–30. ISBN 978-0-8147-2415-6 – via Google Books.
13. "Banks of the United States". The Bankers Magazine and Statistical Register. Boston: Wm. Crosby and H.P. Nichols. June 1857. p. 985 – via Google Books.
14. The Metropolitan Catholic Almanac and Laity's Directory. Baltimore: John Murphy & Co. 1859. p. 22 – via Google Books.
15. Smith, William H. (1855). The Brooklyn City and Kings County Record. New York: John F. Trow. p. 162 – via Google Books.
16. "Deaths: Edward Copland". Brooklyn Evening Star. Brooklyn. 20 June 1859. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.

Notes

1. Copland's name is frequently spelled as "Copeland" in news accounts and official records.