William James Campbell (December 12, 1850 – March 4, 1896) was an American attorney and politician in Illinois. From

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, he came with his parents to southern

Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the List of counties in Illinois, most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the List of the most populous counties in the United States, second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, C ...

at a young age. Campbell attended public schools, then the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

and the Union Law School. He co-founded Campbell & Custer, a prominent law firm that represented industries. He served in the

Illinois Senate The Illinois Senate is the upper chamber of the Illinois General Assembly, the legislative branch of the government of the State of Illinois in the United States. The body was created by the first state constitution adopted in 1818. Under the ...

from 1878 to 1886, quickly rising to become its president. From 1883 to 1885, this made him acting

Lieutenant Governor of Illinois The lieutenant governor of Illinois is the second highest executive of the State of Illinois. In Illinois, the lieutenant governor and governor run on a joint ticket and are directly elected by popular vote. Gubernatorial candidates select their ...

. After his Senate experience, he returned to his law firm and was a member of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...

Biography

William James Campbell was born on December 12, 1850, in

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. His parents, John and Mary, immigrated from northern

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. When Campbell was a child, they moved to

. He attended public school in Bloom Township then matriculated at

Lake Forest University Lake Forest College is a private liberal arts college in Lake Forest, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Lind University by a group of Presbyterian ministers, the college has been coeducational since 1876 and an undergraduate-focused liberal arts inst ...

. later transferred to the

, then was accepted at the Union Law School in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. Campbell studied law under William C. Goudy for two years, then was admitted to the bar. He practiced alone for two years, then formed the partnership of Campbell & Custer. Campbell was elected to the

and served four two-year terms from 1878 to 1886. He was named president pro tempore in 1880, the first to hold the office, serving under John Marshall Hamilton. When Hamilton became

Governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its we ...

in 1883, Campbell position made him the

. He returned to the Senate when Hamilton's term expired, continuing to serve as president pro tempore. He became a close friend of John Riley Tanner in the Senate and the two often collaborated on political projects. After his years in the senate, Campbell returned to Campbell & Custer in the

Rookery Building The Rookery Building is a historic office building located at 209 South LaSalle Street in the Chicago Loop. Completed by architects Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root of Burnham and Root in 1888, it is considered one of their masterpie ...

in Chicago. He represented several large industries there, including

Armour and Company Armour & Company was an American company and was one of the five leading firms in the meat packing industry. It was founded in Chicago, in 1863, by the Armour brothers led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company had become Chicago's mos ...

. He joined the

in 1891, succeeding

George R. Davis George Davis may refer to: Entertainment *George Davis (actor) (1889–1965), Dutch-born American actor *George Davis (art director) (1914–1998), American art director *George Davis (author) (1939), American novelist *George Davis (editor) (1906 ...

. He elected its chairman in 1892, but quickly resigned the office.CAMPBELL PICKS HIS NINE
/ref> Campbell was a trustee of the

Armour Institute of Technology The Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Illinois Tech and IIT, is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour ...

and was a member of the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and Union League Clubs. He died in Riverside, Illinois on March 4, 1896, after an illness.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, William J. 1850 births 1896 deaths American people of Scotch-Irish descent Businesspeople from Illinois Illinois lawyers Republican Party Illinois state senators Lake Forest College alumni Lieutenant governors of Illinois Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law alumni People from Riverside, Illinois Politicians from Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania alumni 19th-century American businesspeople 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the Illinois General Assembly