William Campbell

Background

William Campbell was born on June 24, 1876 in Gateshead-on-Tyne, England; the younger of two sons of Thomas and Franciska (Albrecht) Campbell. His father was English; his mother was born in the United States.

Education

The many industrial activities in Gateshead stimulated young Campbell's interest in the fields of mining and metallurgy. He graduated from the Civil Service Department of King's College, London, in 1892 and during the next two years attended St. Kenelm's College, Oxford. In 1894 he entered the Durham University College of Science and was awarded the degrees of Associate in Science (1896), B. Sc. (1898), and Sc. D. (1905).

Career

Upon receiving the B. Sc. degree, Campbell was appointed demonstrator in metallurgy and lecturer in geology. From 1899 to 1901 he held the Royal Exhibition of 1851 Research Scholarship at the Royal School of Mines, London. At this institution he was intimately associated with the eminent English metallurgist Sir William Chandler Roberts-Austen, and this circumstance, together with his later association with the world-renowned American metallurgist Henry Marion Howe of Columbia University, introduced Campbell to areas of scientific research that claimed his attention throughout his professional career. In 1902 Campbell came to the United States to study under Howe at Columbia, receiving the Ph. D. degree in 1903 and an A. M. in 1905. He remained at Columbia for the rest of his career. From 1903 to 1906 he was lecturer on European geology and, simultaneously, instructor in metallurgy. In 1915 he was appointed professor; in 1924 he was named the first Howe Professor of Metallurgy, an appointment he held until his death. During these years Campbell also acted as metallographer to several federal government agencies. In 1917, during World War I, he served as metallurgist to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and in 1918 he was commissioned a lieutenant commander in the Naval Reserve, in which he remained active thereafter.

One of his specialties was "trouble-shooting" investigations, in which he conducted post-mortems on metallic materials that had failed in service, and developed properties in alloys to meet specific service requirements.

He died of a heart attack in his New York apartment and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, New York City. Virtually his entire estate was bequeathed to Columbia University for the purpose of establishing the William Campbell Fellowship for encouraging scientific research.

Achievements

• William Campbell has been listed as a noteworthy metallurgist by Marquis Who's Who.

Works

More photos

• book

  • A list of alloys prepared by William Campbell for Committee B-2 on non-ferrous metals and alloys

    (This book was digitized and reprinted from the collection...)

Interests

• In line with his profession, Campbell was an avid collector of metallurgical specimens from all over the world and of coins, both ancient and modern.

Connections

On January 27, 1918, Campbell married Estelle M. Campbell, from whom he was divorced in 1930. There were no children.

Father:

Thomas Campbell

Mother:

Franciska (Albrecht) Campbell

Wife:

Estelle M. Campbell