He was the son of Archibald Campbell and Charlotte Saxton and the older brother of notary Archibald Campbell. He is believed to have come to the town of Quebec at a young age. His father was involved in the timber trade and came to Quebec after the American Revolutionary War.
In 1824 and 1825, Campbell managed sawmills for one John Caldwell. In 1825, he set up his own operation, with wharves, a sawmill, and a shipyard at Anse des Mères near Quebec. The steamer Royal William of Samuel Cunard"s Quebec and Halifax Steam Navigation Company was built at Campbell"s shipyard.
Campbell was a director of the Quebec Bank and the Quebec Savings Bank.
He also helped found the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. In 1835, he purchased the seigneury of Îlet-du-Portage.
