James Edwin Campbell (poet)

James Edwin Campbell
Portrait from Local and National Poets of America with Interesting Biographical Sketches (1892)
1st President of West Virginia State University[a]
In office 1892–1894
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	John H. Hill
Principal of Langston Academy
In office 1891–1892
Preceded by	Luta Freeman
Succeeded by	Ida Wilson
Personal details
Born	(1867-09-28)September 28, 1867 Pomeroy, Ohio, United States
Died	January 26, 1896(1896-01-26) (aged 28) Pomeroy, Ohio, United States
Spouse	Mary Lewis Champ-Campbell
Profession	Educator, school administrator, newspaper editor, poet, and essayist
Signature

James Edwin Campbell (September 28, 1867 – January 26, 1896) was an American educator, school administrator, newspaper editor, poet, and essayist. Campbell was the first principal of the West Virginia Colored Institute (present-day West Virginia State University) from 1892 until 1894, and is considered by the university as its first president.^[a]

Campbell was born in 1867 in Pomeroy, Ohio, where he completed his secondary education at Pomeroy Academy in 1884. His first job was as a teacher in Buck Ridge, Ohio, for two years. He relocated to West Virginia, where he served as the editor of The Pioneer and West Virginia Enterprise newspapers. He was the principal of the Point Pleasant Colored School (later known as Langston Academy) from 1891 until 1892. In 1892, he was selected as the first principal of the West Virginia Colored Institute, serving until 1894. He was awarded an honorary Bachelor of Philosophy degree from Shaw University in 1893.

From an early age, Campbell exhibited a talent for writing poetry and stories. He wrote poetry and stories throughout his life. His first book, Driftings and Gleanings, a volume of poetry and essays in standard American English, was published in 1887. Following his resignation from the West Virginia Colored Institute, Campbell relocated to Chicago in 1895, where he became a staff writer for the Chicago Times-Herald. He continued to publish his own poems and articles, and he participated in the publication of Four O'Clock Magazine. In 1895, he published his second book, Echoes from the Cabin and Elsewhere, a collection of poetry in the southern African-American vernacular dialect. He was among the first African-American poets to write in the African-American vernacular dialect.

Campbell died in Pomeroy, Ohio, in 1896 at the age of 28. At West Virginia State University, Campbell is the namesake of Campbell Hall and the Campbell Conference Center.

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