Born in Wellsburg on January 8, 1819, Campbell Tarr opposed Virginia secession in 1861. A staunch Unionist, he was a delegate to the first and second Wheeling conventions, raised Union troops, and was treasurer for the Restored Government of Virginia. He became West Virginia's first treasurer in 1863, serving until 1866. Tarr later lived in Kansas, where he died December 22, 1879.