Campbell was born April 28, 1840, in County Down, Ireland. At the age of 6, he left Ireland with his parents to begin a new life in America. They settled in New Philadelphia, Ohio.
After the war, he married and moved to Des Moines, Iowa. Here he was engaged in the printing business of Johnson-Campbell Printing Company.
He died April 19, 1919 and is buried in Glendale Cemetery, Des Moines, Iowa.