James Campbell (Postmaster General)
| James Campbell | |
|---|---|
 |
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| 16th United States Postmaster General | |
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In office March 7, 1853 – March 4, 1857 |
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| President | Franklin Pierce |
| Preceded by | Samuel Dickinson Hubbard |
| Succeeded by | Aaron V. Brown |
| Attorney General of Pennsylvania | |
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In office January 21, 1852 – March 8, 1853 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas E. Franklin |
| Succeeded by | Francis Wade Hughes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 1, 1812 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US |
| Died | January 27, 1893 (aged 80) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Profession | Politician, Lawyer, Judge |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
James Campbell (September 1, 1812 – January 27, 1893) was a politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He served as Attorney-General of Pennsylvania and United States Postmaster General during the presidency of Franklin Pierce.
Born in Philadelphia, his father was Anthony Campbell, and his grandfather was George Campbell, a native of Fintona, County Tyrone, Ireland. James was educated at the private school of Geraldus Stockdale, studied law with Hon. Robert D. Ingraham, and was admitted to the Bar on September 14, 1833. He was made a commissioner of the district of Southwark the day after his admission, and served until his appointment to the board of education. He offered on April 16, 1840, the resolution which established the Girls' High School of Philadelphia.
He served on the board of education until 1840, when he was appointed, by Governor David R. Porter, judge of the courts of common pleas, orphan's court, and courts of oyer and terminer, which position he filled until January 1, 1851, when the judicial positions in Pennsylvania became elective.
After the state's constitution was amended in 1850 to allow elected judges, he was nominated for the Supreme Court, at a period when Know-Nothingism and anti-Catholic feeling was rife. More than two-thirds of the party's state convention ratified the choice to nominate him, but he lost his election 179,238 to 176,101, although his four colleagues on the Democratic ticket were elected.James Buchanan remarked to a friend in Pennsylvania, "It would be a sad affair for the party, should Campbell fail & the remainder of the Judicial ticket be elected. He is the first Catholic, I believe, who has ever been upon a ticket for a State office & he is worthy & well qualified. Should he fail, this will be attributed to his religious faith; of course, [this would] very naturally exasperate the Catholic democrats. I hope our friends every where will bear this in mind. You exercise a potent influence & can do much to prevent such a catastrophe."
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