John Collins Covell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Principal of the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind | |
| In office 1874–1887 | |
| Preceded by | Leveus Eddy |
| Succeeded by | Henry Bell Gilkeson |
| Principal of the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind | |
| In office 1862–1872 | |
| Preceded by | Jean Merillat |
| Succeeded by | Charles D. McCoy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 19, 1823 Newport, Rhode Island, United States |
| Died | June 4, 1887 (aged 63) Romney, West Virginia, United States |
| Resting place | Indian Mound Cemetery, Romney, West Virginia, United States |
| Spouse | Anita "Annie" Elizabeth Eskridge |
| Relations | Joseph S. Covell (father) John Collins (grandfather) |
| Children | five children including: Mary Avery Covell Parsons Annie Baldwin Covell Heiskell |
| Residence(s) | Romney, West Virginia, United States |
| Alma mater | Trinity College (A.B.) |
| Profession | educator, school administrator |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Confederate States of America |
| Branch/service |  Confederate States Army |
| Years of service | 1861 |
| Rank |  Major |
| Battles/wars | American Civil War |
John Collins Covell (December 19, 1823 – June 4, 1887) was a 19th-century American educator and school administrator specializing in deaf education in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia.
Born in 1823 in Rhode Island, Covell was the son of Episcopal minister Reverend Joseph S. Covell and the grandson of Rhode Island Governor John Collins. Covell attended Trinity College and graduated from the institution in 1847. He was recommended as a candidate for Holy Orders in the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut and received the orders of a deacon.
Covell accepted a teaching position in the Deaf Department of the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind and relocated there in 1847. Covell was made a vice-principal of the institution and given charge of the entire Deaf Mute Department in 1852. During the American Civil War, Covell entered the Confederate States Army with the rank of major and served on the staff of Brigadier General Henry A. Wise. Covell served on General Wise's staff only briefly before returning to the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind to serve as its principal in 1862, a position he held until 1872. In 1874, Covell was selected to serve as the principal of the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind. Under his leadership, the West Virginia Schools for the Deaf and Blind experienced "unprecedented success" and its student body began to grow due to his initiatives. He served as the institution's principal until his death in 1887.
Covell was an active and prominent member of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia and was appointed the first churchwarden of Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church in Romney. Covell played an instrumental role in the construction of the church through his donation of property for the building site and his financial contribution of the majority of its construction costs.