Hopkins was born in Washington, Pennsylvania. He attended the common schools and was graduated from Washington College (now Washington and Jefferson College) in Washington in 1850. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1852 and practiced in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for twenty years. He was also engaged in banking, manufacturing, and mining. For several years he served as vice president of the Pittsburgh chamber of commerce.
Hopkins was an unsuccessful candidate for election in 1872. He was elected as a Democrat to the Forty-fourth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1876. He was again elected to the Forty-eighth Congress. He served as the chairman of the United States House Committee on Labor during the Forty-eighth Congress. He was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1884.
Interstate commerce
He introduced the first (successful) bill implementing federal regulations on interstate commerce in 1872. [citation needed] Originally a supporter of such centralized power the oil lobby led by Standard Oil unsuccessfully fought the measure. MuckrakerIda Tarbell cites Hopkins in many of her works and speeches. [1]
* Alternately named Economic and Educational Opportunities in 104th Congress and Education and the Workforce in 105th through 109th and 112th through 115th Congresses.
