Career
She ran for mayor of Toronto in 1969 but came in second to William Dennison. Born Margaret Elizabeth Fasken Baird, she was raised in Rosedale and attend Bishop Strachan School, University College and then Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the bar in 1937. During the Second World War she worked in counter-intelligence for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
Her son Sterling Campbell served a term as a Liberal Master in Public Policy from Sudbury.
Campbell had two daughters, Penelope (Bartok) and Susan (Makela). Her husband ran for city council in the 1956 election, but was unsuccessful.
In the next city elections she ran herself, and was victorious in Ward 2. In the 1960 election she finished first in the ward, entitling her a position on Metro Council in addition to the Toronto seat.
In the 1969 election she ran for mayor, attempting to become the first female mayor of the city.
Her mayoral campaign was run on an explicitly reform platform, calling for an end to megaprojects and the adoption of Jane Jacobs styled urbanism as advocated by David Crombie. She finished second to Dennison, losing by some 13,000 votes. Saint George had been a staunchly Tory seat for decades, and Campbell faced a prominent opponent in Roy McMurtry, but she was victorious becoming the first woman elected to the Ontario Liberal Party.
She was re-elected in 1975 and 1977.
She represented the riding until 1981, advocating on issues related to poverty, and in favour of women"s and gay rights. In 1984, the Ontario Liberal Party established the Margaret Campbell Fund which supports female candidates who run for the party.
Other references 1.