Thomas Mitchell Campbell (April 22, 1856–April 1, 1923) was Governor of Texas from 1907 to 1911.
Biography
Campbell was born in Rusk, Texas, the son of Thomas Duncan and Rachel (Moore) Campbell. He attended school at Rusk and entered Trinity University in 1873 to study law. He was unable to support himself and withdraw after a year. Campbell went to work in the Gregg county clerk's office and continued his studies at night. In 1878, he was admitted to the Texas bar. In the same year, he married Fannie Irene Bruner of Shreveport, Louisiana.
Campbell practiced law in Longview until he became involved with the troubled International-Great Northern Railroad in 1889. He became its court-appointed receiver in 1891 and moved his family to Palestine. The next year, after lifting the line from bankruptcy, he remained in Palestine as the general manager of the railroad.
Political career
Campbell distrusted monopolistic big business and sympathized with trade unions. He shared many of the reformist political views of, former Texas governor James Stephen Hogg. In 1897, Campbell resigned from the railroad and became active in Democratic party politics and at Hogg's urging, decided to run for governor.
Campbell was elected governor in 1906. In his two terms in office, 1907-1911, Campbell initiated a number of reforms involving railroad regulation, equitable taxation, and lobbying restrictions. The most significant legislation centered on prison reform, as Campbell's administration ended the contract lease system for inmates and implemented more humane treatment of prisoners. Under Campbell, many state agencies also came into being, including the Department of Insurance and Banking, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the State Board of Health, and the Texas State Library.
Campbell returned to private law practice in Palestine but remained active in Democratic politics. In 1916, he ran unsuccessfully for the United States Senate. He died in Galveston and was buried in Palestine.
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