Victor Copps

Infobox Officeholder
name = Victor Copps


caption =
order = Mayor of Hamilton, Ontario
term_start = 1962
term_end = 1976
deputy =
predecessor = Lloyd Douglas Jackson
successor = Vince Agro
birth_date = March 21, 1919
birth_place = Haileybury, Ontario
death_date = October 15, 1988
death_place =
constituency =
party =
spouse = Geraldine Copps
profession =
religion = Roman Catholic


footnotes = The first Roman Catholic Mayor. The second longest serving Mayor in Hamilton.

Victor Kennedy (Vic) Copps (March 21, 1919 - October 15, 1988) was a Canadian politician and Mayor of Hamilton.cite web| title = List of Hamilton Mayors| url=http://www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/LibraryServices/Localhistory/Mayors.htm| accessdate = 2007-01-25]

Born in Haileybury, Ontario, he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II, following which, he worked in Timmins, Ontario for a local newspaper. In 1945 he moved to Hamilton to become a sports broadcaster on CHML. He entered local politics in 1960, winning a seat on the Board of Control and becoming deputy Mayor. He ran for Mayor in 1962 defeating the incumbent. He sparked outrage among Hamilton's Protestant community, as one of his first official acts was to abolish the annual Orange Order Parade, a staple of Hamilton for many years. In 1964 he was an unsuccessful candidate at the Ontario Liberal Party's leadership convention. Copps continued as mayor until 1976 when he was forced to retire following a heart attack. He was the city's first Roman Catholic mayor and its second-longest serving holder of that office. Under his leadership, the city engaged in a major project of urban renewal. The city's Copps Coliseum is named after him.

Vic Copps is the father of Sheila Copps, a former Canadian cabinet minister.

External links

* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8658398 Find-A-Grave profile for Victor Copps]

References