Robert Campbell (November 2, 1841 – after 1880) was a British-born American immigrant, businessman, politician, and

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

pioneer. He served one term in the

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, ...

, representing

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

during the 1880 session.

Biography

Robert Campbell was born in

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern England, Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers River Eden, Cumbria, Eden, River C ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, in November 1841. As a child, he emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

with his parents. They settled in

Portage, Wisconsin Portage is a city in and the county seat of Columbia County, Wisconsin, Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 10,581 at the 2020 census making it the largest city in Columbia County. The city is part of the Madison, Wiscon ...

, in 1849. 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. In 1868, he went into business with Charles P. Austin, establishing a grocery store under the name "Austin & Campbell". Within a year, however, Campbell sold his share of the partnership to John Gates, though he remained an employee in the firm. About 1870, their firm leased a store in

Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''. It may refer to: Places Australia * Glendale, New South Wales ** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre *Glendale, Queensland, ...

, in

Monroe County, Wisconsin Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,274. Its county seat is Sparta. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0 ...

, 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. Robert Campbell was elected to the

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

Electoral history

Wisconsin Assembly (1879)

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

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Robert 1841 births Year of death missing Politicians from Carlisle, Cumbria English emigrants to the United States 19th-century English politicians People from Monroe County, Wisconsin Republican Party members of the Wisconsin State Assembly