John Allen Campbell

John Allen Campbell
Born	October 8, 1835 Salem, Ohio
Died	July 14, 1880 (aged 44) Washington, D.C.
Place of burial	Arlington National Cemetery
Allegiance	United States Union
Service/branch	United States Army Union Army
Years of service	1861 - 1866, 1867 - 1869
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel Brevet Brigadier General
Battles/wars	American Civil War

John Allen Campbell (October 8, 1835 – July 14, 1880) was a politician and officer in the U.S. Army, as well as the first Governor of the Wyoming Territory.^[1]

Biography

Campbell was born in Salem, Ohio and attended public school in Ohio.^[2] In 1861, he joined the Union Army in the Civil War, during which time he served as a publicity writer and later as adjutant general on Major General John M. Schofield's staff.^[3] He advanced from lieutenant to brevet brigadier general.

Career

Campbell continued to serve under Major General Schofield during the Reconstruction Period, and in Virginia Campbell helped set up senatorial and representative districts. President Ulysses S. Grant appointed him Governor of Wyoming Territory in 1869 and again in 1873. While Governor, Campbell approved the first law in United States history explicitly granting women the right to vote. The law was approved on December 10, 1869. This day was later commemorated as Wyoming Day.^[4]

In 1875, Campbell served as Third Assistant Secretary of State under Secretary of State Hamilton Fish. Campbell was a member of the Republican Party.^[5]

Campbell was appointed American Consul at Basel, Switzerland, on December 3, 1877, and resigned on February 4, 1880.^[6]

Death and legacy

Campbell died on July 14, 1880 and is interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.^[7] Campbell County, Wyoming, is named after him.^[8]

In Popular Culture

• Campbell is portrayed Ed Prentiss in the Lawman episode "The Truce" (1960), starring John Russell. In the story line, a wanted outlaw, O.C. Coulsen (played by Robert McQueeney) turns himself in to Marshal Dan Troop in hopes that Governor Campbell will grant Coulsen clemency, because Coulsen had saved the governor's life during the American Civil War. Meanwhile, a sheriff in pursuit seeks credit for Coulsen's arrest. The governor informs Coulsen that he must first undergo arrest and trial before there can be any consideration of a pardon.^[9]

• Campbell is portrayed by Jake Weber, as a main character - the provisional governor of Wyoming and overseer of the Union Pacific Railroad, in Hell on Wheels season 4 (2014).

See also

• List of American Civil War generals

References

1. "Governors of Wyoming". State of Wyoming. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
2. "John Campbell". Wyoming State Historical Society. Retrieved October 10, 2012.
3. "John A. Campbell (R)". Wyoming State Archives. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
4. "Today in History". The Library of Congress. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
5. "John A. Campbell (R)". Wyoming State Archives. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
6. "John Allen Campbell". Wyoming State Archives. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
7. "John Allen Campbell". Find A Grave. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
8. Urbanek, Mae (1988). Wyoming Place Names. Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Publishing Company. ISBN 0-87842-204-8.
9. ""The Truce", Lawman, March 6, 1960". Internet Movie Data Base. Retrieved April 15, 2013.

External links

• Arlington Cemetery
• "John Allen Campbell". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2008-08-13.
• The Political Graveyard
• Wyoming State Archives
• Governor John A. Campbell Papers, RG0001.1, Wyoming State Archives. (Gubernatorial papers)
• Campbell Collection, 1854-1907, C-1049, Wyoming State Archives (personal papers)