KOPPLEMANN, HERMAN PAUL

KOPPLEMANN, HERMAN PAUL (1880–1957), U.S. politician and civic leader. Kopplemann, who was born in Odessa,   Russia, was brought to Hartford, Connecticut, by his parents at the age of two. He established the H.P. Kopplemann Agency for the distribution of newspapers and magazines, which subsequently became the largest in the state. In 1904 Kopplemann was elected to the Hartford City Council where he served four consecutive terms. He was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 1913 and to the Connecticut Senate in 1917. From 1929 to 1957 he served as a member of the Metropolitan District Commission. In 1932 Kopplemann became the first Jew to be elected to Congress from Connecticut. He served four terms and consistently supported the New Deal. Kopplemann was also extremely active in Jewish affairs, and his posts included chairman of the United Jewish Appeal; vice president of the United Synagogue of America; and secretary of the Board of Overseers of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. (Morris Silverman)