James Campbell was born in Philadelphia on September 1, 1812. He studied law and was admitted to the Bar on Sept. 14, 1833. He became a commissioner for the district of Southwark in the city of Philadelphia, was appointed to the Board of Education, and on April 16, 1840 sought the establishment of Girl's High School of Philadelphia. In 1840 Governor Porter appointed him a judge of the court of common pleas and orphans' court until January 1851, when all judicial placements in Pennsylvania became elected positions. During this time, amid anti-Catholic politics in the United States and the activity of the Know-Nothing Party, he was nominated to the Supreme Court but was defeated because of his Catholicism. Governor William Bigler of Pennsylvania then appointed him Attorney-General of PA, an office he held until March 1853. He then joined the Cabinet of President Franklin Pierce as Postmaster-General and served until March 1857. In 1861 he was defeated by one vote as a candidate for the United States Senate, which in those days was elected by the state legislature. For 25 years he was president of the Board of Trustees of Jefferson Medical College, and for 45 years he was vice-president of St. Joseph's Orphan Asylum, the oldest Roman Catholic orphan asylum in the United States, sponsored by members of Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church and chartered in 1807. In 1869 he was appointed a member of the board of trusts of the City of Philadelphia, where he cared for numerous institutions, including Wills Eye Hospital and Girard College, and was known for meticulous visitation in pursuit of improved care and conditions for all under his charge. He died in Philadelphia on January 27, 1893.
