| HISTORY/BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | John William (J.W.) Campbell was born on July 18, 1889 in Scotch Block, Ontario to Colin and Elizabeth J.L. (Snow) Campbell. He came from a farming family but pursued a career in mathematics, receiving his Master's degree from Queen's University in 1913 and a PhD in mathematical astronomy from the University of Chicago in 1915. He then became a lecturer of mathematics at Wesley College in Winnipeg, Manitoba until 1917. That same year, he married Ruby Campbell Kilgour in Cornwall, Ontario and served in England as an officer in the Canadian Army for the remainder of the First World War. At the end of the war, he remained in the military and taught as an instructor at Khaki University, a post-secondary educational institution for members of the Canadian military that operated in England until 1919.
After the war, J.W. and Ruby Campbell moved to Iowa City, Iowa where J.W. taught at the University of Iowa until 1920. At that time, Dr. Campbell accepted a position in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Alberta and moved to Edmonton on his own. Ruby was pregnant and she stayed in Cornwall, Ontario with her family until the birth of her son, Donald K. Campbell, in December, 1920. Ruby and Donald then rejoined John Campbell in Edmonton. A second child, Elizabeth, was born in 1924.
During his career at the University of Alberta, he served as a member of the Senate (1928-30, 1939-41), an assistant professor of mathematics (1920-21), an associate professor of mathematics (1921-25), a professor of mathematics (1925-54) and Head of the Department of Mathematics from 1947 to 1954, when he retired.
In addition to his career in mathematics, J.W. Campbell was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, president of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (1947-49), and a member of the American Association of Mathematics, the American Mathematical Society, and the Sigma XI Honorary Scientific Fraternity. He was also a weekly contributor to the Edmonton Journal.
Campbell died on January 23, 1955 in Edmonton, Alberta.
|
| SCOPE AND CONTENT: | The series consists of copies and original manuscripts of various academic texts written by Campbell on the subjects of mathematics and astronomy. The negatives were created by Campbell in 1919 and depict victory celebrations in London after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. The photos depict various faculty members and students at the University of Alberta over several decades. The series also includes photo albums from various trips in the 1930s; a book on the history of the University of Alberta, History of the University of Alberta, 1908-1958, which features a photo of Campbell; a mathematics article co-published with H.E. Johns, Eclipse Predictions; photos of various buildings being built on the University of Alberta campus; Khaki University material and correspondence; a photo album featuring the Victory Parade in London, 1919, Khaki University, eclipse viewing in California, road trips, and mining operations in Flin Flon, Manitoba. |