David Campbell (Virginia politician)


David Campbell was a Virginia merchant, soldier, farmer and politician who became the 27th Governor of Virginia, serving from 1837 to 1840.

Early and family life

David Campbell was born in a part of Washington County, Virginia, that later became Smyth County, to Capt. John Campbell and his wife Elizabeth McDonald. Both of his parents were of Scottish descent. His younger brother John Campbell served as treasurer of the United States from 1829 to 1839, and would be buried at Morristown, Shelby County, Indiana. Another younger brother, Edward McDonald Campbell, represented Lee, Russell, Scott, Tazewell, and Washington Counties in the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1829-1830, and Edward's son John Arthur Campbell represented the area at the Virginia Secession Convention of 1861 and also served as a Confederate infantry captain and circuit judge. They may have also had two sisters, Mary Campbell Cummings and Eliza Campbell.
David Campbell married Mary Hamilton in 1800, and they raised his nephew and niece David H.R. Campbell and Virginia Campbell.

Career

Campbell was a successful merchant in Abingdon, Virginia. He served in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812, and was Captain in the Virginia militia and aide-de-Camp to Governor James Barbour during that conflict. He was National Guard Brigadier General of the 3rd Virginia brigade and Colonel of the 3rd Virginia Cavalry.
Campbell also served as deputy clerk of Washington County from 1802-1812. He later won election as Clerk of Washington County and served until 1837.
After the 1820 census, voters in Washington and surrounding Lee, Scott, Russell and Tazewell counties elected him to represent them in the Virginia Senate, where he succeeded Francis Preston. Senator Campbell served one term, and was replaced by John D. Sharp.
As governor Campbell unsuccessfully advocated creation of a statewide system of compulsory education. He called a special session of the General Assembly that helped Virginia weather the financial Panic of 1837. After his term as Virginia's governor ended, he served as justice of the peace in Washington County. Two men of the same name owned slaves in Washington County in 1840, and although Virginia's state slave schedules for that county in 1850 also show a David Campbell as a slaveowner, such records are not available online and the federal census slave schedule was either lost or missing.

Death and legacy

Campbell died in Abingdon on March 19, 1859, survived by his widow for six months. Both are buried in Abingdon's Sinking Spring cemetery. The Library of Virginia maintains his executive papers.