James A. Campbell
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| James A. Campbell | |
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| Born | September 11, 1854 Ohltown, Ohio |
| Died | September 20, 1933 Youngstown, Ohio |
James A. Campbell (September 11, 1854 - September 20, 1933) was a business leader best known for his role as chairman of Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, one of the largest steel-production firms in the United States.[1] Campbell served as director of the American Iron and Steel Institute during World War I.[2]
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[edit] Early years
Campbell was born in the village of Ohltown, Ohio. As a child he suffered from tuberculosis and was predicted to die at a young age. He recovered his health, however, and eventually excelled at sports such as baseball and boxing.[1] As a young man, Campbell enrolled at Hiram College, where he studied business.[1]
His early employment included stints as a hardware salesman and furniture store manager. In the late 1800s, Campbell settled permanently in Youngstown, Ohio, where he organized and managed the Youngstown Ice Company. Later, he became associated with the Trumbull Iron Company.[1]
[edit] Industrial career
In 1895, Campbell became superintendent of the Mahoning Valley Iron Company, but he resigned five years later, when the firm was absorbed by Republic Steel Company.[1] That same year, Youngstown-area industrialist George D. Wick appointed Campbell as secretary of what became the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company. Two years later, he rose to the position of vice president, and in 1904, he became president of the company.[1]
Campbell led the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company through a tumultuous period that included the East Youngstown riot of 1916, a nationally reported incident that required the intervention of the National Guard. [1] (East Youngstown was officially renamed as Campbell in 1922. While this gesture was largely intended to honor James Campbell, it was also an attempt to distance the city from the memory of the infamous riot.)[3]
As director of the American Iron and Steel Institute during World War I, Campbell was responsible for the allocation of steel tubular products.[2] For his outstanding wartime service, he later received the emblem of the French Legion of Honor.[1] In 1919, Campbell led Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company through a steel strike of unprecedented magnitude.[1]
[edit] Final years
Campbell's last years were marred by tragedy and disappointment. During World War I, the industrialist's only son, Louis J. Campbell, contracted a progressive disease while fighting in the trenches of France.[4] The degenerative condition, which resulted in the amputation of Louis Campbell's right leg, forced the younger man to take frequent breaks from his position as treasurer of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company. Ultimately, Louis Campbell survived his father by less than two years.[4]
Meanwhile, James Campbell was frustrated in his efforts to create what might have been the nation's second largest steel corporation.[5] In 1931, he attempted to merge the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company with Bethlehem Steel, a move that was bitterly, and successfully, opposed by other local industrialists.[1] Opponents of the merger were backed financially by Cyrus S. Eaton, founder of Republic Steel, who feared the implications of a strengthened Bethlehem Steel.[6]
James Campbell died on the evening of September 20, 1933, of an apparent stroke. Funeral services were held at his sprawling mansion in Liberty, Ohio.[1] Those who praised Campbell's achievements included Eugene Grace, president of Bethlehem Steel Company. "In the death of Mr. Campbell, the steel industry loses one of its outstanding personages", Grace said.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Death Ends J. A. Campbell's Career; Sudden Attack Is Fatal to Sheet & Tube's Builder", The Youngstown Vindicator, September 21, 1933, p. 1.
- ^ a b Fuechtmann, Thomas G. (1989). Steeples and Stacks: Religion and Steel Crisis in Youngstown. New York: Cambridge University Press, p. 12.
- ^ Fuechtmann, Thomas G. (1989). Steeples and Stacks: Religion and Steel Crisis in Youngstown. New York: Cambridge University Press, p. 13.
- ^ a b "Death Takes L. J. Campbell; Long Illness Ends Fatally for Son of Late S. & T. Founder", The Youngstown Vindicator, January 7, 1935, p. 17.
- ^ "Bethlehem Merger Great Blow of Last Years", The Youngstown Daily Vindicator, September 21, 1933.
- ^ Fuechtmann, Thomas G. (1989). Steeples and Stacks: Religion and Steel Crisis in Youngstown. New York: Cambridge University Press, p. 14.
- ^ "Dalton, Grace Laud Campbell", The Associated Press, September 21, 1933.
