American dramatist, born in Allegheny City, PA, on the 12th of August 1843; died in Middletown, NY, on the 30th of July 1888. He began the study of law, which he relinquished, and became a Leader reporter. He founded The Evening Mail of Pittsburg in 1868, The Southern Magazine of New Orleans in 1867, and three years later was official reporter of the Louisiana house of representatives. He took up the writing of dramatic pieces in 1871, and among his plays are the following: Through Fire; Peril; Fate; The Virginian; On the Rhine; an adaptation of the German comedy Ultimo, which he named The Big Bonanza; Heroine in Rags; How Women Love; My Partner; The White Slave; My Geraldine; and Paquita. The Big Bonanza netted a San Francisco theater $16,000 in a month. My Partner achieved success in New York, being the first of Mr. Campbell’s plays which gave satisfaction in that city. In 1886 the author became insane.
