Henry Cope

Henry Cope (12 July 1742) was an English military officer and merchant who served as the 5th lieutenant governor of Placentia from 1736 until his death in 1742.

Early life and military career Henry Cope was born in the year 1688, in England. He first enlisted into the English Army in 1706 as an ensign in the Queen's Regiment of Foot, serving under Lieutenant General John Richmond Webb. With this unit, he served under the Duke of Marlborough in Flanders. After his service in Flanders, he was stationed in Spain for the remainder of the war. By 1715, he had made it to be a captain in Thomas Whetham's Regiment of Foot, and in that year he made it to the rank of major. He resigned his commission soon after achieving this promotion.

Political career After resigning his commission, Cope travelled to New England in pursuit of business ventures. He primarily lived in Boston during his time in New England, while his business ventures extended into Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. On , Cope was appointed to be the military town major of the British garrison at Placentia, Newfoundland. Given the relaxed nature of the position, he still divided his time between New England, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. Cope and his company set up their mine in what is now known as the Joggins Formation, utilizing troops from the local garrison as workers and security personnel, however the mine didn't last long, as by 15 November 1732, the mine had been destroyed by the local Mi'kmaq population.

Lieutenant governorship Following the failure of his mining project in Nova Scotia, on 22 July 1736, Cope was appointed lieutenant governor of Placentia, after Samuel Gledhill died. Not much is known about his time as lieutenant governor. On 4 September 1740, a royal commission was assembled to mark out the border between Massachusetts Bay and Rhode Island. Cope was included on that list, however at this point, he had already been selected and sent off as part of an expedition to the West Indies.

Return to the military and death

War broke out between Great Britain and Spain in the West Indies in 1739, and lieutenant general and former lieutenant governor of Virginia Alexander Spotswood was chosen to raise a regiment from the Americas to fight for the British on 5 April 1740. Cope was recommended to become a Lieutenant Colonel in the regiment by Major General John Ligonier,

During the War of the Spanish Succession, controversy arose when it was revealed that Captain Cope of Whetham's Regiment of Foot had married a local, Eulalia Morell, while stationed in Menorca under the leadership of lieutenant general Richard Kane, all while still having a living wife in England. Cope's wife made the journey to Port Mahon in 1720, although she could not find her husband there.