Background
John Campbell was born in 1653. He was a Scot, who emigrated to Boston before 1698 and probably before 1695.
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John Campbell
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In 1702 Campbell became postmaster at Boston under Neale's monopoly, with the "approbation" of Gov. Dudley. The General Court subsidized the post-office at first and in 1703 Campbell was freed from various civic duties during his employment. The subsidy was suspended in 1706. The archives contain a series of petitions by Campbell for its continuance as compensation for taking "due care of forwarding the public letters" and for the printing of the Weekly Intelligencer. The post-office was the center of information and Campbell utilized his position to write news-letters for regular patrons, which he franked through the mail. From this developed his printed Boston News-Letter, beginning April 24, 1704. This weekly half-sheet was the first established newspaper in America, though not the first attempt. "Published by authority, " the paper was careful to keep on the good side of that authority, but was not entirely immune from official censure. It set the precedent of being concerned chiefly with foreign news. The paper was dull; the publisher wrote little himself and that awkwardly, and complained of meager returns, since in 1711 he could not "vend two hundred and fifty copies at one impression. " He was not without business enterprise, however; for instance, during 1719 he made half the issues whole sheets in order to catch up on the foreign news, being thirteen months behind, whereby "in a little time all will become New that us'd formerly to seem Old"; and on Jan. 4, 1720, he announced that "such as have a Mind to pleasure their Friends with it per Post may have it every Monday a whole Sheet, one half with the News, the other half good Paper to write their Letter on (which will fully Obviate that insinuation of People's being prevented having it that live remote from hence) by only paying single Postage for both the News and their Letter every Post. " He was no longer postmaster at this time, for he had lost the position in 1718. With the last issue of 1722 he turned the control of the News-Letter over to Bartholomew Green, who had printed it during most of the preceding years. During the latter part of his life Campbell was a justice of the peace and a man of considerable position.
Achievements
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He was twice, possibly thrice, married. His last wife was Mary Pemberton (nee Clarke) who took Herbert Lloyd as her third husband and published Meditations on Divine Subjects (1745).
