Ted Sophocleus
Pharmacist served on Anne Arundel County Council, followed by two decades in House of Delegates
Del. Ted Sophocleus, a pharmacist who served in the Anne Arundel County Council and then in Maryland’s House of delegates for two decades, died Friday in a Baltimore hospital.
The Democrat and Linthicum resident was 79.
“He had a heart bigger than life,” said Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch, an Annapolis Democrat. “He was a very compassionate guy. He was a great mentor to many young members and a pragmatic leader on budget issues.”
“We are heartbroken at the loss of such a dedicated public servant and tireless community advocate,” said County Executive Steve Schuh, a Republican. “Ted has left Anne Arundel County better than he found it, and we are eternally grateful.”
Del. Ed DeGrange, a fellow Anne Arundel Democrat, got to know Mr. Sophocleus during a campaign in the early 1990s. His oldest son married Mr. Sophocleus’ daughter after meeting on the campaign trail.
“He will be sorely missed. He loved helping people — that was his life. And he did it very well, from coaching Little League to working with constituents. He was a real people person,” Mr. DeGrange said.
Theodore J. Sophocleus was born in Baltimore in 1939 and grew up in the Highlandtown neighborhood, the son of Greek immigrants John Sophocleus and his wife, Despina.
He attended Patterson Park High School, then graduated from the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy and became a patent clerk, pharmacist and manager for Read’s Drug Stores from 1960 to 1977, according to his official Maryland General Assembly biography.
“Mr. Sophocleus climbed the corporate ladder with the 104-outlet Read’s drugstore chain,” reported The Sun in a 1994 profile. “Having managed progressively larger drugstores in Annapolis, Baltimore [and] Ellicott City, Mr. Sophocleus was called in 1974 to corporate headquarters to implement a consultant’s efficiency study. Two years later, he took over as director of training and professional services.”
The article noted that he moved to Texas in 1977 to become president of a small pharmacy chain in Corpus Christi, but returned to the area three years later and opened his own pharmacy on Hammonds Ferry Road in Linthicum.
He ran and was elected to the Anne Arundel County Council in 1982, and served two terms. The Sun article stated that during his council tenure, he “had a penchant for scolding school officials and department heads who proposed new projects or spent more money than budgeted.”
“He helped organize a committee composed of Baltimore-Washington International Airport officials and neighbors who had complaints about noise. And he has been a vocal critic of the incinerators and other smokestack industries in South Baltimore along the Anne Arundel border,” the article stated.
He won the Democratic Party’s nomination for county executive in 1990 and 1994, but narrowly lost to Robert R. Neall, then to John G. Gary.
He was appointed to the House of Delegates in 1993 by then-Gov. William Donald Schaefer to fill a vacant seat for two years. He was elected to his own seat in 1998.
Mr. Sophocleus served on the House Appropriations Committee since 2007 and was vice chair of the Health and Social Services Subcommittee. He positioned himself as a moderate Democrat, taking a conservative stance on same-sex marriage in 2006.
In recent years, his legislative initiatives focused on bond bills benefiting his district and the county as a whole. In 2016, he was the primary sponsor of a bill that increased the use of DNA within court proceedings.
While he had health issues in recent years, Mr. Sophocleus continued his work within the Anne Arundel delegation, and served as its chair during the 2018 session.
He had undergone surgery earlier this year after a neck injury and took a brief leave of absence during the 2018 General Assembly session. He was running for re-election at the time of his death.
He spoke highly of his fellow lawmakers and fought back tears when saying goodbye to outgoing delegates at the end of this year’s session in April.
After his death Friday, accolades came from both sides of the aisle.
“He really worked hard for his constituents. He looked out for the citizens and did a lot for our district,” said Del. Pam Beidle, a Democrat. “He just loved being delegate. He had a lot of experience that we are going to lose.”
“Ted Sophocleus was one of the finest people I’ve met in public office,” said Del. Nic Kipke, a Republican. “He was honest, true to himself and his constituents, and loved his family dearly.
“He never wore his party on his sleeve and often, in a grandfatherly way, gave me good advice on how to pass bills or get important projects funded,” Mr. Kipke said. “I’ll miss him dearly.”
He was named Legislator of the Year in 2004 by the Maryland State’s Attorneys’ Association, and received a similar honor from the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence in 2005, according to his official biography.
He was a member of the Alumni Hall of Fame at Patterson Park High School.
Service arrangements are incomplete.
He is survived by his wife, Alice Sophocleus, who had worked closely with him during his political career, their children and grandchildren. A daughter, Dina Sophocleus Furrow, died in a 2005 motorcycle accident.
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