Campbell attended Cornell University, where he served as the chairman of the Orientation Executive Committee and on the Willard Straight Hall Board of Managers. He was also elected to the Sphinx Head Society in his senior year,[6] before graduating in 1957. Campbell went on to earn a law degree from Columbia Law School in 1961.[7]
Career
Campbell worked at the American Stock Exchange prior to becoming the executive vice president and administrative vice-president of Wesleyan University in order to fulfill his lifelong interest in serving the public good. In 1970, after Edwin Etherington left Wesleyan to make an unsuccessful run for the United States Senate as a Republican candidate from Connecticut, Campbell was elected as the university's thirteenth, and youngest, president.[7] He served as president of the university until 1988 when he was succeeded by William Chace, the former vice provost of Stanford University.[8]
Campbell was married to Nancy Nash, who later served as chair of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.[11] Together, they had four children. Campbell died on June 21, 2024, at the age of 88.[12]