John Collins Covell

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	(1823-12-19)December 19, 1823 Newport, Rhode Island, United States
Died	June 4, 1887(1887-06-04) (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.