Alexander Campbell (October 4, 1814 – August 8, 1898) was an

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

businessman, politician, and author. After serving in state and local office as a member of the Whig Party and the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

, Campbell published a book titled ''The True American System of Finance'', becoming a leading figure in the Greenback movement. Campbell's work expanded on that of economist Edward Kellogg, who had advocated for

fiat money Fiat money (from la, fiat, "let it be done") is a type of currency that is not backed by any commodity such as gold or silver. It is typically designated by the issuing government to be legal tender. Throughout history, fiat money was sometim ...

. Campbell served a single term in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

as an independent, and won the backing of several delegates for the presidential nomination at the

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs is ...

and 1880 Greenback National Convention.

Background

Cambell was born on a farm near

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Franklin County, Pennsylvania Franklin County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 155,932 Its county seat is Chambersburg. Franklin County comprises the Chambersburg–Waynesboro, PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, whi ...

. He attended the public schools; became a

clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...

in an iron works and was subsequently promoted to superintendent, became wealthy managing mines and steel mills in Pennsylvania,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

, and

Missouri Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...

until 1850, when he moved to

LaSalle, Illinois LaSalle is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States, located at the intersection of Interstates 39 and 80. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Originally platted in 1837 over , the city's boundaries have grown ...

and became interested in the coal fields there.

Public office and political theory

As a member of the Whig Party, Campbell won election as mayor of the newly-established town of LaSalle, serving two terms in that office in the early 1850s. He then served as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

from 1858 to 1859. He was a delegate to the 1862 Illinois Constitutional Convention. In 1864, Campbell expanded on the ideas of pre- Civil-War U.S. economist Edward Kellogg in a book titled ''The True American System of Finance''. In the book, Campbell followed Kellogg's example in advocating for

. He differed from Kellogg in that he favored maintaining that system through a currency and bond system rather than through re-establishing a

national bank In banking, the term national bank carries several meanings: * a bank owned by the state * an ordinary private bank which operates nationally (as opposed to regionally or locally or even internationally) * in the United States, an ordinary p ...

. The publication of ''The True American System of Finance'' made Campbell one of the leading figures in the evolving Greenback movement to replace bank

currency A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general ...

with

United States Notes A United States Note, also known as a Legal Tender Note, is a type of paper money that was issued from 1862 to 1971 in the U.S. Having been current for 109 years, they were issued for longer than any other form of U.S. paper money. They were k ...

in an effort to place

labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

on an equal footing with

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in the structure of finance. "Money creates no wealth," he wrote. "It only gathers up and appropriates to its owner things already produced." He followed this up in 1868 with ''The True Greenback''. He was elected as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

to the Forty-fourth Congress from the Illinois's 7th congressional district, unseating

incumbent

Franklin Corwin Franklin Corwin (January 12, 1818 – June 15, 1879) was a United States representative from Illinois. Born in Lebanon, Ohio, he attended private schools, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1839, practicing in Wilmington, Ohio. He ser ...

. He served from 1875–77, and sought re-election in 1876, but was defeated by Republican

Philip C. Hayes Philip Cornelius Hayes (February 3, 1833 – July 13, 1916) was a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from Illinois, as well as an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Background Born in Granb ...

. Campbell received several votes for the presidential nomination at the 1876 Greenback National Convention, but the nomination went to

Peter Cooper Peter Cooper (February 12, 1791April 4, 1883) was an American industrialist, inventor, philanthropist, and politician. He designed and built the first American steam locomotive, the '' Tom Thumb'', founded the Cooper Union for the Advancement of ...

After Congress

After his defeat, he never again held public office, although he issued pamphlets such as his 1878 ''Address to the voters of the seventh congressional district of Illinois''. He was a candidate for the presidential nomination at the 1880 Greenback National Convention, but the convention nominated

James B. Weaver James Baird Weaver (June 12, 1833 – February 6, 1912) was a member of the United States House of Representatives and two-time candidate for President of the United States. Born in Ohio, he moved to Iowa as a boy when his family claimed ...

.Richardson, Darcy G. ''Others: Third Party Politics from the Nation's Founding to the Rise and Fall of the Greenback-Labor Party'' Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse, 2004; Volume 1; pp. 510-512 He died in LaSalle on August 8, 1898, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery.

Footnotes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Alexander 1814 births 1898 deaths Businesspeople from Illinois Illinois Greenbacks Illinois Republicans Illinois Whigs Mayors of places in Illinois Members of the Illinois House of Representatives Members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois People from Franklin County, Pennsylvania People from LaSalle, Illinois Writers from Illinois Writers from Pennsylvania Illinois Independents Independent members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American businesspeople

Background

Public office and political theory

After Congress

Footnotes

Further reading

External links