Robert Campbell (Wisconsin politician) explained

Robert Campbell
State:Wisconsin
State Assembly:Wisconsin
District:Monroe 2nd
Term Start:January 5, 1880
Term End:January 3, 1881
Predecessor:George R. Vincent
Successor:John O'Brien
Party:Republican
Birth Date:2 November 1841
Birth Place:Carlisle, England, UK
Death Date:after 1880
Occupation:merchant

Robert Campbell (November 2, 1841 – after 1880) was a British-born American immigrant, businessman, politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Monroe County during the 1880 session.

Biography

Robert Campbell was born in Carlisle, Cumbria, England, in November 1841. As a child, he emigrated to the United States with his parents. They settled in Portage, Wisconsin, in 1849.[1]

Robert Campbell went to work as an apprentice in a printing office when he was 14 years old, working on the printing of the Badger State and State Register newspapers.[2] In 1868, he went into business with Charles P. Austin, establishing a grocery store under the name "Austin & Campbell".[3] Within a year, however, Campbell sold his share of the partnership to John Gates, though he remained an employee in the firm.[3]

About 1870, their firm leased a store in Glendale, in Monroe County, Wisconsin, and sent Campbell there to manage the new business. After a few years Campbell went into business with the owner of the Glendale store building, James R. Lyon, and operated the store under the new firm Lyon & Campbell.[4]

Robert Campbell was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1879 from Monroe County's 2nd (eastern) Assembly district, running on the Republican Party ticket. He served in the 1880 session of the Legislature and was not a candidate for re-election in 1880.[5]

His sister, Mary J. Campbell, married his one-time business partner Charles P. Austin.[3]

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1879)

| colspan="6" style="text-align:center;background-color: #e9e9e9;"| General Election, November 4, 1879

Notes and References

  1. News: Robert Campbell, of Glendale... . The Wisconsin State Register. November 15, 1879 . 3 . February 22, 2022 . .
  2. News: The many friends of Robert Campbell... . The Wisconsin State Register . November 8, 1879 . 3 . February 22, 2022 . .
  3. Book: Butterfield, Consul Willshire . The History of Columbia County, Wisconsin . 1880 . Western Historical Company . 876 - 877 . February 22, 2022 .
  4. News: An Early History of the Town of Glendale and Village of Kendall . Kendall Keystone . January 24, 1930 . February 22, 2022 . .
  5. The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin . 1880 . State of Wisconsin . Warner . Hans B. . https://images.library.wisc.edu/WI/EFacs/WIBlueBks/BlueBks/WIBlueBk1880/reference/wi.wibluebk1880.i0024.pdf . Biographical Sketches . 520 . February 22, 2022 .