During his time as a medical professor in Ann Arbor, Copeland was active in municipal politics. A Republican, he served as mayor of Ann Arbor from 1901 to 1903. He was president of the Ann Arbor Board of Education from 1907 to 1908. He also served for several years as president of the Ann Arbor Board of Park Commissioners.
Political career in New York
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 pseudoscientific homeopaths. He was the primary sponsor of the Copeland "Anti-kickback" Act, which targeted kickbacks to federal contractors, subcontractors and officials from construction employees. Copeland was close to the regular Democratic organization in New York, the boss-led Tammany Hall. He was a conservative Democrat and not especially supportive of the New Deal policies of his fellow New Yorker, Franklin Roosevelt. He was also a friend of Harry S. Truman when they both served in the U.S. Senate. Copeland was known for his successful efforts to bring air conditioning to the Senate. In 1937 he lost the Democratic nomination for Mayor of New York City to Judge Jeremiah T. Mahoney, and the Republican nomination to incumbent Republican Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia.
Death
Copeland died at his apartment in Washington, DC on June 17, 1938. According to news reports, he died of a circulatory collapse brought on by overwork during the longer than usual Senate session that ended on the day of his death. His funeral was at his home in Suffern, New York. He was buried at Mahwah Cemetery in Mahwah, New Jersey.
