John Campbell, 1st Baron Campbell
Campbell, John, 1st Baron Campbell, 1779-1861, British jurist. He was a member of the Whig party in the House of Commons from 1830 and in the Lords from 1841. Ambitious legally rather than politically, he became attorney general (1834-41), lord chief justice (1850), and lord chancellor (1859). Campbell was associated with legal reforms in the areas of real estate and local government, but his role was that of organizing the investigating commissions and guiding the bills through Parliament. He was more directly responsible for the Libel Act (1843), the Copyright Act (1846), and the Obscene Publications Act (1857). He wrote Lives of the Lord Chancellors (1845-47) and Lives of the Chief Justices (1849-57).
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Campbell, John
John Campbell, also known as First Baron Campbell, was born September 15, 1779, in Scotland. He was admitted to the bar in 1806 and pursued a career in British law and politics.
In 1830, Campbell entered Parliament and advocated legal reforms in real property and local government. Two years later he served as solicitor general, and from 1834 to 1841, he was attorney general. In 1850 he performed the duties of Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench and in 1859 became Lord Chancellor.
Campbell is credited with the passage of three important pieces of legislation: the Libel Act, in 1843; the Copyright Act, in 1846; and the Obscene Publications Act, in 1857.
As an author, Campbell is famous for Lives of the Lord Chancellors, published from 1845 to 1847, and for Lives of the Chief Justices, published from 1849 to 1857.
Campbell died June 23, 1861, in London, England.
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The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/.
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