John Thomas Copenhaver Jr.
John Thomas Copenhaver Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia | |
| Assumed office November 1, 2018 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia | |
| In office September 3, 1976 – November 1, 2018 | |
| Appointed by | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Kenneth Keller Hall |
| Succeeded by | Frank W. Volk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 29, 1925 Charleston, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Parents |
|
| Education | The Citadel; West Virginia University (AB, LLB) |
John Thomas Copenhaver Jr. (born September 29, 1925)[1] is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. Copenhaver was the last actively serving district judge appointed by President Gerald Ford.
Education and career
[edit]Copenhaver was born in Charleston, West Virginia.[1] His father, John T. Copenhaver, Sr. was mayor of Charleston, West Virginia and twice a Republican candidate for governor of the state. According to the Charleston Gazette-Mail, his father "was known as 'Jumping John' for his colorful and sometimes controversial behavior."[2] His mother was Ruth Cherrington.[1] He attended The Citadel from 1942 to 1944.[1] He received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from West Virginia University in 1947 and a Legum Baccalaureus degree from West Virginia University College of Law in 1950. He was in the United States Army from 1944 to 1946, rising to the rank of staff sergeant.[1]
After law school, he became a law clerk to Judge Ben Moore of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia from 1950 to 1951. He was in private practice in Charleston from 1951 to 1958, and a referee in bankruptcy for the Southern District of West Virginia from 1958 to 1973. Copenhaver was both an adjunct professor at the West Virginia University College of Law and a faculty member of the Federal Judicial Center from 1970 to 1976, and a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of West Virginia from 1973 to 1976.[3]
Federal judicial service
[edit]Copenhaver was nominated by President Gerald Ford on August 26, 1976 to be a federal judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, to a seat vacated by Judge Kenneth Keller Hall. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 1, 1976, and received his commission on September 3, 1976. He assumed senior status on November 1, 2018.[3]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Judicial Conference of the United States. Bicentennial Committee (1983). Judges of the United States (2nd ed.). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 106. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ "'Jumping John' Copenhaver". Charleston Gazette-Mail. 19 May 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2025.
- ^ a b John Thomas Copenhaver Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
Sources
[edit]- John Thomas Copenhaver Jr. at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Political Graveyard