John William Campbell

b. 14 July 1866, d. 15 November 1940

John William Campbell, 1866-1940
Courtesy of the Rosenberg Library, Galveston, Texas
  • John William Campbell was born on 14 July 1866 in Texas.
  • Douglas McQueen Campbell and Ella Abercrombie Wood appeared in the US federal census of 1 June 1880 in Montgomery County, Texas. Other members of the household included John William Campbell, Ann Williamson Clark, Sarah Patterson Campbell, Emeline L. Campbell and Evelina Alexander Barnes. Emma was the daughter of Douglas' widowed brother John W., and Sarah and John W. were the children of their deceased brother Marcus.
  • Evelina Wood wrote from Willis to her grandson Wood Powell in Christian County, Illinois on 12 April 1887, ". . . Sarah & brothers are building & will soon be in the new home all their own - it is next door to Mrs. Mary League her aunt. She was Mary Williams is well off & assists Sarah a good deal. The Campbell family all well in Galveston. . . ."
          Letter in private collection of B. M. Henwood, descendant of Wm Wood Powell; original transcription by R. E. Reichardt.
  • The following appeared on 9 April 1889 in the Galveston Daily News: Mr. Marcus C. McLemore, Jr., son of Major M. C. McLemore and Mr. John W. Campbell, nephew of Mr. A. R. Campbell of the law firm of McLemore & Campbell, made application yesterday to the district court for licenses to practice law, and asking that an examination as to their qualifications be instituted for that purpose.
  • The following appeared on 9 April 1889 in the Galveston Daily News: Ordered [by the county commissioners] that the clerk issue certificates to Marcus C. McLemore, Jr., and to John W. Campbell respectively, that they are of good moral character and of honorable deportment, are over 21 years of age and residents of Galveston County.
  • The following appeared on 10 January 1891 in the Galveston Daily News: District Court, Judge Wm. H. Steward Presiding. John W. Campbell vs. S. W. Campbell et al., partitions; sale for purposes of partition as made by the sheriff is approved and confirmed.
  • The following appeared on 9 April 1891 in the Galveston Daily News: Probate Docket. Estate of Ann W. Campbell, Minor; John W. Campbell appointed guardian, bond $10,000; A. R. Campbell, P. S. Wren and W. R. Johnson appointed appraisers. [Note that she is mentioned in Caroline Williams Campbell's probate.]
  • He married Mary Virginia Stowe, daughter of J. H. Stowe, on 28 February 1894 in Galveston, Texas, at St. John's Church.
  • The following appeared on 1 March 1894 in the Galveston Daily News: Last night in St. John's church Mr. John W. Campbell and Miss Virginia Stowe were married. The bride is the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Stowe of this city. Mr. Campbell also is a Galvestonian. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell left for a tour of the southern states at 7:30 last night. On their return they will reside in Galveston.
  • The following appeared on 9 March 1897 in the Galveston Daily News: Mr. John W. Campbell has found his papers. On January 22 his safe was found open and a lot of valuable notes and papers were gone. A burglary was surmised. The matter was reported to the police, payment was stopped on the notes and nothing was heard of the matter until yesterday morning, when Mr. Campbell discovered the papers in an envelope behind and old safe in a passageway near his office.
  • The following appeared on 2 April 1897 in the Galveston Daily News: Deed of partition: Between the heirs of C. L.Campbell, deceased, of southwest quarter of outlot 61, except lots 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14, as follows, to-wit: Samuel W. Campbell, lots 8 and 9; Sarah P. Campbell, lots 7, 15 and 16; Mary C. Campbell, lots 4, 5 and 6; Anna W. Campbell, lots 2 and 3. All said lots in southwest quarter.
  • John William Campbell and Mary Virginia Stowe appeared in the US federal census of 1 June 1900 in Galveston, Texas, at 3218 Avenue O. Other members of the household included Wesley Neal Campbell and Marcus A. Campbell.
  • He was self-employed as a lawyer, according to the 1900 census.
  • The following appeared on 19 August 1902 in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: (Tyler, Tex, Aug. 19) Suit has been filed in the United States distric court here for the recovery of eleven leagues of land of the Manuel Rionda survey in Anderson and Freestone counties. The suit was filed by William H. Williams, Mary D. League, Samuel W. Campbell, John W. Campbell, Sarah P. Campbell, Mary C. Campbell, Annie W. Campbell against Amelia L. Howard, Harry S. Hardee, Francis C. Zachary, Caroline A. Owen, Emma O. Zachary, Florence D. Zachary, Florence T. Ellis and James A. Steqart. The plaintiffs are residents of Texas and other states and defendants reside in Missouri and Louisiana. The suit was instituted by Houston attorneys.
  • The following appeared on 23 December 1903 in The Dallas Morning News: (Galveston, Dec. 22) Judge John W. Campbell, formerly County Judge of Galveston, and now receiver for the Gulf and Interstate Railway, was elected County and State Collector this afternoon, by the County Commissioners' Court. He succeeds Ernest L. Fulton, deceased, for the unexpired term to next November.
  • John William Campbell became a widower at the 9 April 1908 death of his wife Mary Virginia Stowe.
  • John William Campbell appeared in the US federal census of 15 April 1910 in Galveston, Texas, at 1520 Avenue D rooming in a large house with the Chambers family.. Other members of the household included Wesley Neal Campbell and Marcus A. Campbell.
  • He was an attorney, according to the 1910 census.
  • The following appeared on circa 1912 in the Austin American: Having won the confidence and esteem of the people of his native city, having served them with distinction and credit in several offices of trust, John Wesley Campbell of Galveston is now devoting his time to the practice of law and taking only such part in politics that is the right and duty of every patriotic citizen.
         John Wesley Campbell was born in the city of Galveston, July 14, 1866. His father, Marcus Campbell, known to many of his associates as "Bunk," was a physician of prominence and in the early '70s had charge of the hospital at Galveston. His mother, Caroline (Williams) Campbell, was a daughter of Samuel M. Williams, who, with Stephen F. Austin, acquired large grants of land from Mexico and colonized Texas in the early days.
         After attending and graduating from the public schools of Galveston, Mr. Campbell attended Southwestern university at Georgetown from 1884 to 1886 and afterward read law in the office of McLemore & Campbell at Galveston. He was admitted to the bar to practice law in 1889. He was elected county judge of Galveston county in November, 1900, and served two years. Afterward, in 1904, he served one year as tax collector under appointment by the commissioners court.
         Mr. Campbell represented Galveston county in the thirty-second legislature in 1910, but did not seek re-election, retiring to the practice of law. Since then he has been prominently mentioned as a possible mayor of the city of Galveston, but is keeping out of politics and attending strictly to his profession.
         In 1894 Mr. Campbell married Miss Virginia Stowe, daughter of John N. Stowe. His wife has since died, leaving him two sons, Neal and Marcus.
         Mr. Campbell is a citizen who does well whatever lies in his path of duty and he has attained an enviable position among the people of his native city.
  • He officially witnessed the death of Archibald Rowland Campbell on 1 May 1920 at 1515 Broadway in Galveston, Texas; at his residence.
  • The following appeared on 9 September 1931 in the Galveston Daily News: Possibilities of Galveston being selected by the Goodall Worsted Company of Sanford, Maine, for a new Palm Beach clothing factory developed Tuesday with the visit to Galveston of W. Neal Campbell, president of the organizatin and A. R. Rahout, a director. Mr. Campbell is a former Galvestonian, the son of Judge John W. Campbell of Galveston. With his brother, M. A. Campbell of San Antonio, he visited Judge Campbell here. Should Galveston be selected for the factory site it would mean the employment of more than 500 persons and the factory would have an annual output of 250,000 suits of clothes, it was declared. Mr. Campbell and Mr. Rahout spent Monday and Tuesday conferring with Galveston business men on the location of the factory here. Engineers are to be sent here in the near future to study labor conditions and it was indicated that William S. Nutter, vice president of the company, would come to Galveston in January to look over the situation. Mr. Campbell said that Mr. Nutter was the inventor of Palm Beach cloth, the only patented cloth in this country and that the Goodall Company.
  • At the time of his death John William Campbell was living in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, at 1609 West Woodlawn.
  • John William Campbell died on 15 November 1940 at age 74 in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, at Medical Arts Hospital . His death was officially witnessed by Ann W. Campbell.
  • He was interred at Lakeview Cemetery, Galveston, Texas.
  • The following appeared on 16 November 1940 in the Galveston Daily News: Funeral services for Judge John W. Campbell, 74, native and life-long resident of Galveston and a former Galveston County judge, who died about 3 o'clock yesterday morning in a San Antonio hospital, will be held here tomorrow afternoon. The body will arrive here tomorrow morning from San Antonio. Rev. Edmund H. Gibson, rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, will officiate at services to be held at 2:30 o'clock tomorrow afternoon at the J. Levy & Bro. funeral home, and interment will follow in Lakeview Cemetery. Active Pallbearers will be: Sam J. Williams, Cling Wolston, Charles H. Theobald, Charles Gill, Julius Jockusch, Peter B. Erhard, N. S. Lufkin and W. N. Slowe Jr. Judge Campbell is survived by two sons, William Neil Campbell of Kennebunk Point, Me., and Marcus Campbell of Cincinnati, Ohio; a brother Samuel Campbell of New York state; two sisters, Miss Mary Campbell Campbell and Miss Nancy Campbell of San Antonio; two cousins, Arch R. Campbell and Charles W. Gill Jr., of Galveston; four grandchildren and other relatives. Judge Campbell was county judge of Galveston County at one time and later county tax collector. He also served as Galveston County's representative in the state legislature and was also judge of the county court at law here. Born in Galveston on July 14, 1866, Judge Campbell attended the local public schools and Southwestern University. His father, who was a native of Florida, was the late Dr. Marcus Campbell, and his mother, a native of Texas, was Caroline Williams, a daughter of Gen. Samuel May Williams of early Texas fame. Judge Campbell spent three years "reading law" and was given his license to practice in April, 1889. He went to West Texas for a time and on his return here was employed for six years by J. C. League, big mainland property Dealer. He went out to practice on his won in 1896 and in 1900 was elected county judge. He served one term in that office. As presiding officer of the county commissioners court following the 1900 storm Judge Campbell participated in matters of legislation for funding the county's script of over $200,000 then floating as well as letting the contract for the seawall and boulevard, filling behind the wall and the issuance of $1,500,000 in seawall and breakwater bonds. For the next decade he practiced law, specializing in real estate and loan laws, and in 1910 he was elected to the state legislature. He served there for three terms until 1916. Five years later in 1921 on the death of Miles Crowley he was appointed judge of the county court at law, a position he held until the court was abolished by the legislature at the end of 1933. After that Judge Campbell practiced law. His law partner was Charles W. Gill Jr., now assistant county attorney. For the last 20 years of his life he acted as attorney for the Savings and Loan Co. and also for the Suburban Improvement Co. Judge Campbell was a democrat and a member of the Episcopal church. He held membership in the Knights of Pythias, Elks, Eagles, Redmen and Camp Hughes.
  • Last Edited: 3 Apr 2015

Family: Mary Virginia Stowe b. October 1872, d. 9 April 1908