Lewis D. Campbell
Encyclopedia
Lewis Davis Campbell was a U.S. Representative
for Ohio
. Over his successful political career he was elected as a Whig
, Know-Nothing
, Republican
and Democrat
.
His education was in the local public schools. He was apprenticed to learn the art of printing from 1828 to 1831, and was afterward assistant editor of the Cincinnati Gazette. He published a Clay
Whig newspaper in Hamilton, Ohio
from 1831 to 1835 (The Hamilton Intelligencer). During this time, he read the law and was admitted to the bar in 1835. He practiced law in Hamilton until 1850, after which time he engaged in agricultural pursuits. Lewis Campbell married Jane Reily on January 5, 1836 in Butler County, Ohio
.
He was a director and secretary of the Hamilton and Rossville Hydraulic Company, formed in 1841 for the purpose of building a canal through Hamilton to provide water power to local companies. He was an incorporator and president of the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad
Company which was constructed between 1846 and 1852.
candidate for election in 1840, 1842, and 1844 to the Twenty-seventh, Twenty-eighth, and Twenty-ninth Congresses. He was elected as a Whig in 1848 from Ohio's Second Congressional District to the Thirty-first Congress and was re-elected in 1850. Following the redistricting after the 1850 census
, he found himself in Ohio's Third Congressional District but was successful in being again elected as a Whig in 1852. With the collapse of the Whigs, he ran as an Opposition Party
(Know-Nothing) candidate in 1854 and was elected to the Thirty-fourth Congress
, in which he became chairman of the powerful Committee on Ways and Means
.
In the election of 1856, he claimed re-election by a 19 vote margin and presented credentials as a Republican
Member-elect and served from March 4, 1857, to May 25, 1858, when by a vote of 107–100 the Democratic controlled House decided that Campbell was not entitled to his seat. His election had successfully been contested by Clement L. Vallandigham who took his seat on May 26, 1858. Campbell ran against Vallandigham in the election of 1858, but Vallandigham was returned to office by a 50.5% to 49.5% margin.
Campbell served in the Union Army
as colonel
of the Sixty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry
, in 1861 and 1862, when he resigned on account of failing health.
President Andrew Johnson
appointed Campbell as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
to Mexico
on May 4, 1866. He was accompanied by General William Tecumseh Sherman
. Campbell was instructed to tender to President Benito Juárez
the moral support of the United States, and to offer the use of American military force to aid in the restoration of law. The occupying French forces of Maximilian
had Juarez's government on the run, and Campbell failed to reach them. Campbell served until June 16, 1867, when he resigned and returned to resume his elective political career.
Campbell was elected to the Ohio Senate
in 1869 and resigned in 1870 to take his seat in Congress, after being elected as a Democrat
to the Forty-second Congress. He declined to run for reelection in 1872. He was a delegate to the third Ohio State constitutional convention
in 1873, after which he resumed his agricultural pursuits.
, later held the seat from the third district for one term (1885–7).
Lewis Davis Campbell died in Hamilton, Ohio
, aged 71, where he is interred in Greenwood Cemetery.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Over his successful political career he was elected as a Whig
Whig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
, Know-Nothing
Know Nothing
The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...
, Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
Early life and career
Lewis Davis Campbell was born in Newport, South Wales, the son of Samuel Campbell (1781–1846) and Mary Small (1786 – after 1882).His education was in the local public schools. He was apprenticed to learn the art of printing from 1828 to 1831, and was afterward assistant editor of the Cincinnati Gazette. He published a Clay
Henry Clay
Henry Clay, Sr. , was a lawyer, politician and skilled orator who represented Kentucky separately in both the Senate and in the House of Representatives...
Whig newspaper in Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
from 1831 to 1835 (The Hamilton Intelligencer). During this time, he read the law and was admitted to the bar in 1835. He practiced law in Hamilton until 1850, after which time he engaged in agricultural pursuits. Lewis Campbell married Jane Reily on January 5, 1836 in Butler County, Ohio
Butler County, Ohio
Butler County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2010, the population was 368,130. Its county seat is Hamilton. It is named for General Richard Butler, who died in 1791 fighting Indians in northern Ohio. Butler's army marched out of Fort Hamilton, where the city of...
.
He was a director and secretary of the Hamilton and Rossville Hydraulic Company, formed in 1841 for the purpose of building a canal through Hamilton to provide water power to local companies. He was an incorporator and president of the Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad
Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad
The Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad was a railroad based in the U.S. state of Ohio that existed between its incorporation on March 2, 1846, and its acquisition by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in December 1917...
Company which was constructed between 1846 and 1852.
Political career
He ran unsuccessfully as a WhigWhig Party (United States)
The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
candidate for election in 1840, 1842, and 1844 to the Twenty-seventh, Twenty-eighth, and Twenty-ninth Congresses. He was elected as a Whig in 1848 from Ohio's Second Congressional District to the Thirty-first Congress and was re-elected in 1850. Following the redistricting after the 1850 census
United States Census, 1850
The United States Census of 1850 was the seventh census of the United States. Conducted by the Bureau of the Census on June 1, 1850, it determined the resident population of the United States to be 23,191,876 — an increase of 35.9 percent over the 17,069,453 persons enumerated during the 1840...
, he found himself in Ohio's Third Congressional District but was successful in being again elected as a Whig in 1852. With the collapse of the Whigs, he ran as an Opposition Party
Opposition Party (United States)
The Opposition Party in the United States is a label with two different applications in Congressional history, as a majority party in Congress 1854-58, and as a Third Party in the South 1858-1860....
(Know-Nothing) candidate in 1854 and was elected to the Thirty-fourth Congress
34th United States Congress
The Thirty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1855 to March 4, 1857, during the last two years...
, in which he became chairman of the powerful Committee on Ways and Means
United States House Committee on Ways and Means
The Committee of Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committees unless they apply for a waiver from their party's congressional leadership...
.
In the election of 1856, he claimed re-election by a 19 vote margin and presented credentials as a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Member-elect and served from March 4, 1857, to May 25, 1858, when by a vote of 107–100 the Democratic controlled House decided that Campbell was not entitled to his seat. His election had successfully been contested by Clement L. Vallandigham who took his seat on May 26, 1858. Campbell ran against Vallandigham in the election of 1858, but Vallandigham was returned to office by a 50.5% to 49.5% margin.
Campbell served in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
as colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
of the Sixty-ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry
69th Ohio Infantry
The 69th Ohio Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Service:The 69th Ohio Infantry was organized at Hamilton and Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio beginning in November 1861. It mustered in for three years service April 1862 under the command of...
, in 1861 and 1862, when he resigned on account of failing health.
President Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson
Andrew Johnson was the 17th President of the United States . As Vice-President of the United States in 1865, he succeeded Abraham Lincoln following the latter's assassination. Johnson then presided over the initial and contentious Reconstruction era of the United States following the American...
appointed Campbell as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary
United States Ambassador to Mexico
The United States has maintained diplomatic relations with Mexico since 1823, when Andrew Jackson was appointed Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to that country. Jackson declined the appointment, however, and Joel R. Poinsett became the first U.S. envoy to Mexico in 1825. The rank...
to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
on May 4, 1866. He was accompanied by General William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
. Campbell was instructed to tender to President Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez born Benito Pablo Juárez García, was a Mexican lawyer and politician of Zapotec origin from Oaxaca who served five terms as president of Mexico: 1858–1861 as interim, 1861–1865, 1865–1867, 1867–1871 and 1871–1872...
the moral support of the United States, and to offer the use of American military force to aid in the restoration of law. The occupying French forces of Maximilian
Maximilian I of Mexico
Maximilian I was the only monarch of the Second Mexican Empire.After a distinguished career in the Austrian Navy, he was proclaimed Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864, with the backing of Napoleon III of France and a group of Mexican monarchists who sought to revive the Mexican monarchy...
had Juarez's government on the run, and Campbell failed to reach them. Campbell served until June 16, 1867, when he resigned and returned to resume his elective political career.
Campbell was elected to the Ohio Senate
Ohio Senate
The Ohio State Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly, the legislative body for the U.S. state of Ohio. There are 33 State Senators. The state legislature meets in the state capital, Columbus. The President of the Senate presides over the body when in session, and is currently Tom...
in 1869 and resigned in 1870 to take his seat in Congress, after being elected as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
to the Forty-second Congress. He declined to run for reelection in 1872. He was a delegate to the third Ohio State constitutional convention
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
in 1873, after which he resumed his agricultural pursuits.
Death and legacy
His nephew, James E. CampbellJames E. Campbell
James Edwin Campbell was a Democratic politician from Ohio. He served as the 38th Governor of Ohio.Campbell was born in Middletown, Ohio where he attended the public schools and then Miami University. He served in the Union Army as a member of the Mississippi River Squadron during the Civil War...
, later held the seat from the third district for one term (1885–7).
Lewis Davis Campbell died in Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
, aged 71, where he is interred in Greenwood Cemetery.
Sources
- A History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of Butler County Ohio. Cincinnati, Ohio: Western Biographical Publishing Company, 1882.