Henry Laurens Hopkins (July 12, 1805 – 1870) was a nineteenth century American politician from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Early life

Hopkins was born in

Goochland County, Virginia Goochland County is a county located in the Piedmont of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its southern border is formed by the James River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,727. Its county seat is Goochland. Goochland County is includ ...

near Goochland Court House, the a son of the Episcopal minister Charles Hopkins. He studied law in his home county.

Career

As an adult, Hopkins established a law practice in

Powhatan County, Virginia Powhatan County () is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 30,033. Its county seat is Powhatan. Powhatan County is included in the Greater Richmond Region. The James River forms the cou ...

, There he served as a Commonwealth’s Attorney for many years. Hopkins served as a Delegate in the Virginia Assembly from Powhatan County and was elected

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

of the House of Delegates 1848-1850. He also served in another Constitutional office as a member of the Council of State and acting Governor for a year. He was succeeded by his brother,

George Washington Hopkins George Washington Hopkins (February 22, 1804 – March 1, 1861) was a nineteenth-century United States politician, diplomat, lawyer, judge and teacher. Biography Born in Goochland County, Virginia near Goochland Court House to the Episcopal m ...

of Washington County, Virginia. In 1850, Hopkins was elected to the

Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 The Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1850 was an assembly of elected delegates chosen by the voters to write the fundamental law of Virginia. It is known as the Reform Convention because it liberalized Virginia political institutions. Backgro ...

. He was one of three delegates elected from the Southside delegate district made up of his home district of Brunswick County, as well as Lunenburg, Nottoway and Dinwiddie Counties. Hopkins moved to Petersburg in 1859. During 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 ...

, he served under the Confederate regime as a member of the House of Delegates from 1862 to 1863.

Death

Henry L. Hopkins died in near

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...

in 1870. Pulliam 1901, p. 107

References

Bibliography

* List of former Speakers of the House of Delegates, in the old House chamber in the Virginia State Capitol * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Henry L. Members of the Virginia House of Delegates People from Goochland County, Virginia Speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates 1805 births 1870 deaths 19th-century American legislators People from Powhatan County, Virginia 19th-century Virginia politicians