The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-03-29
JOHN c. CAMPBELL.
His Sudden Death at Streator Yes
terday Afternoon.
An Old Resident OF streator-A Prominent
Politician Both OF this County
and State.

fOHticihn bOtn Oh tnis Couhty
and State.
Hon. John c. Campbell, of Streator,
died at his residence in that city yes
terday afternoon OF heart failure. HE
was taken sick late on Wednesday
evening, and his death was entirely
unexpected.
dOnville, Preston county, Va, May 4,
IS43. He came with his parents to
Illinois in 1854, settling first in Cairo,
afterwards in Mendoza, La Sale
county, in 1857, and from there they
went to where StreatOr now is, in 1859,
when the place was farm or a wilder
ness. He was educated In the schools
of the various places in which he lived,
and attended the Collegiate Institute
at Mendoza three years. When
eighteen years old, in 1861, he enlisted
in Company E, Twenty-sixth Illinois
Infantry as a private, to serve three
years. He was mustered into the SER
vice at Camp Butler, near Springfield,
Ill.,, Aug. 2, 1861, and was mustered
out as orderly sergeant Of his company
at Atlanta, Ga, in October, 1864. He
participated in many important en-
gagements of the war, among which
may be mentioned New Madrid, Island
No. 10, siege of Corinth, second battle
of COrinth, siege of Vicksburg, Mission
Ridge, Knoxville, Kenesaw Mountain,
and others of minor Importance.
After his return from the war he en-
gagged in coal mining on small scale
in La Sale county, which he followed
until 1868, when he began to build
railroads as a contractor, and took
contracts on railroads in Illinois, Wis
concin, Iowa, Minnesota and Mich,
gan. He engaged in contracting until
1879, when he became one OF the in
corpOrators of the River Bank Goal
company, of which he was chosen
president, he being the principal stock
owner. He was also stakeholder and
director of the Kankakee Il Illinois
railroad company (nOw the Indiana,
Illinois & Iowa railrOad). In April,
1884, he was elected secretary and
treasurer of the River Bank Coal COM
pany, and was given the sole manage
ment of the mines. In 1875 he was
one of the incorpOratOrs of the Gas
Light & Coke company, OF which he
was treasurer. He sold his interest in
this company in 1879. He was once
president of the StreatOr Coal associ-
alton, when it existed, an association
composed of five OF the leading coal
companies of StreatOr, representing
the capacity to mine over one million
tons annually.
He was Master, Royal Arch and
Knight Templar Mason, and was a
member Of Streator Lodge No. 607, A.
f. and A. NJ; StreatOr Chapter No. 147,
&c he ~, Il
Ottawa.
Feb. II, 1869, he was married to Miss
Anna Brock, of Bruce township, La
Sale county.
They had three children, only one
of whom, Ralph, survives the father.
Mrs. Campbell still remains, and of
Mr.. Campbell's family his father and
two sisters, at least, are still alive,
living, however, in other states.
In politics Mr.. Campbell, like his
crat; and a friend, speaking of him
bell for years and believed he had
never voted anything but a straight
Democratic ticket. After his return
from the army he at once began to
take an interest in local as well as
national politics, and soon became
one of the leaders of the Democratic
party of this county. In the past
twenty years there has not been held,
probably, a Democratic county con-
vention in this county to which he
was not sent as delegate, and to most
if not all state conventions in that
time he has been delegate. In 1877
he was a candidate for county clerk
against P. w. StOCksleger, being one
of the "noble army" of political mar
tyrs of that day who accepted nOmi
nations to keep the party alive. In
1884 he was elected member of the
state central committee (having previ-
ously served for many years on the
county central cOmmittee), and in
1888 was elected chairman of that COM
mittee for two years, to which Office
ne was reelected in January last for
two years more, so that his death
leaves that important Office in the
Democratic organization vacant. AS
chairman of the state committee
during the last general campaign, Mr..
Campbell deserves credit for an enOr-
nous amount of hard work, much of
it very effective, especially the Palmer
end of that canvass. With greater
means at his command, earlier in the
canvass, still greater results might |
have been expected.
AS man, Mr.. Campbell had great
many friends. His manners were |
affable; his address easy; he was
Democrat in his treatment of men, as |
he was in politics; liberal with money,
though he was never wealthy-a man,
in short, to make friends and acquain-
tanceS who thOupht we'll of him.
wherever he went and in any company
in which he appeared.