Sir James Campbell

James Campbell (1790–1876) was a Scottish businessman and politician. He was born in 1790 on the farm of Inchanoch near the Port of Monteith in Perthshire. His father was James McOran, who was the tenant of a farm on the Gartmore estate. According to family tradition, an ancestor of the Campbell lineage, originally from Melfort in Argyllshire, adopted the pseudonym McOran after facing trouble at home around the year 1660. This ancestor was received into service by the Earl of Menteith, married a niece of Haldane of Lanrick, and settled at Inchanoch. The family retained the surname McOran in Menteith, but when migrating elsewhere, they reverted to the Campbell name.

In 1805, due to land exchanges between proprietors of Gartmore and Rednock, James McOran surrendered his lease and moved with his family to Glasgow. The family consisted of four sons and four daughters. His eldest son, John, emigrated to America, while James, the second son, remained in Glasgow. His third son, Alexander, died unmarried in 1822. The fourth son, William, later associated with Tullichewan, entered into business with James.

James Campbell received some education and was apprenticed to McLachlan & McKeand, warehousemen on High Street in Glasgow. This firm was associated with the family at the Port of Menteith and provided support and capital for James in his early business endeavors.

In 1810, at the age of 20, James entered into a partnership with Matthew Paterson in a clothier business. The partnership, known as Paterson & Campbell, was based at 163 Trongate. This partnership ended in 1812, after which Campbell operated independently at 41 Brunswick Place under the firm James Campbell tertius & Co.

In 1817, he combined efforts with his brother William into the new firm J. & W. Campbell & Co., initially located at 5 Saltmarket. The business expanded from a focus on hawker trade to a general wholesale and retail drapery and dry goods operation. In 1820, their brother Alexander joined as a partner, and the firm was titled J., A., & W. Campbell & Co. until Alexander’s death in 1822. In 1823, the company moved to premises at 34 Candleriggs Street, consolidating its operations. The retail departments were eventually sold off to concentrate solely on wholesale trading, leading the firm to relocate to 29 (later 137) Ingram Street in 1856.

Campbell was also active in public and political life. He helped organize a banquet for Sir Robert Peel in Glasgow in 1837 and was part of the deputation that delivered the invitation. He stood as a Conservative parliamentary candidate for Glasgow in 1837 and 1841 but was not elected. In 1842, he was knighted as Lord Provost of Glasgow, coinciding with the birth of the Prince of Wales.

During the ecclesiastical upheavals of 1843, known as the Disruption of the Church of Scotland, Campbell remained aligned with the established church, in contrast to his brother William. He participated actively in efforts related to church appointments and the support of church schemes, including the Lay Association and the Endowment Scheme.

His residence in Glasgow was at 129 Bath Street, constructed by him in 1829. He maintained a country residence at Kelvinside House near the Botanic Gardens and purchased the estate of Stracathro in Forfarshire in 1847, where he engaged in farming and estate development. He died at Stracathro on September 10, 1876, aged 85.

James Campbell married Janet Bannerman from Manchester in 1822. She predeceased him in 1873. He was survived by two sons, James Alexander and Henry, the latter of whom became Member of Parliament for Stirling Burghs in 1868 and served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The family included four daughters: Jane, Helen, Mary, and Louisa.