Sherman Nathaniel Copelin, Jr. (born August 1943), is an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

man from his native

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. The son of a funeral director, Copelin graduated from St. Augustine High School and then became active in student politics at

historically black Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of serving African Americans. Most are in the Southern U ...

Dillard University Dillard University is a private, historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 and incorporating earlier institutions founded as early as 1869 after the American Civil War, it is affiliated with the United Church of C ...

, where he became student body president. He was hired to serve as an aide in the administration of

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Victor Schiro Victor Hugo "Vic" Schiro (May 6, 1904 – August 29, 1992), was an American politician who served on the New Orleans City Council and as Mayor from 1961 to 1970. Early life and political career Schiro was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son ...

in 1968. In the 1970s, he and Don Hubbard emerged as the leaders of the black political organization called

SOUL The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

(Southern Organization for Unified Leadership). SOUL's effectiveness in rallying the support of African American voters for candidates like Louisiana Governor

Edwin Edwards Edwin Washington Edwards (August 7, 1927 – July 12, 2021) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1965 to 1972 and as the 50th governor of Louisiana for four terms (1972–1980, 1984–1988, and 1992–1996 ...

and New Orleans Mayor

Moon Landrieu Moon Edwin Landrieu (born Maurice Edwin Landrieu; July 23, 1930 – September 5, 2022) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 56th mayor of New Orleans from 1970 to 1978. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented New Or ...

made him a powerful figure in New Orleans and Louisiana politics. In the 1970s Copelin headed Superdome Services, Inc., a politically connected company contracted by the Landrieu administration to provide janitorial and security services for the then new

Louisiana Superdome Caesars Superdome (originally Louisiana Superdome and formerly Mercedes-Benz Superdome), commonly known as the Superdome, is a domed multi-purpose stadium in the Southern United States, southern United States, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. ...

. Scandal emerged when Copelin was accused of receiving payoffs from companies seeking to obtain contracts from City Hall. In 1986, Copelin was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives from New Orleans's

Lower Ninth Ward The Lower Ninth Ward is a neighborhood in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. As the name implies, it is part of the 9th Ward of New Orleans. The Lower Ninth Ward is often thought of as the entire area within New Orleans downriver of the Ind ...

. He was subsequently the Speaker Pro Tempore. Success in business dealings led Copelin to move to Eastern New Orleans outside his district. The residency issue became an issue in his re-election campaign, and he was defeated in 1999 by the Reverend Leonard Lucas. Copelin ran unsuccessfully in the New Orleans mayoral election of 1994. Copelin is currently the head of the New Orleans East Business Association, and since

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

has publicly opposed the construction of new apartment complexes in New Orleans East.

Sources

Bridges, Tyler. ''Bad Bet on the Bayou: The Rise of Gambling in Louisiana and the Fall of Governor Edwin Edwards.'' Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001. DuBos, Clancy. "SOUL on the Ropes." ''Gambit Weekly''. March 20, 2001.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Copelin, Sherman 1943 births Living people Politicians from New Orleans African-American state legislators in Louisiana Activists for African-American civil rights Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives American funeral directors Businesspeople from New Orleans 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century members of the Louisiana State Legislature