Thomas Joseph Campbell

Thomas Joseph Campbell (1871 - 3 May 1946), known as T. J. Campbell, was an Irish nationalist newspaper editor, politician and judge.

Brought up as a Roman Catholic in Belfast, Campbell studied at St Malachy's College and the Royal University of Ireland. In 1895, he began editing the "Irish News", a local nationalist newspaper. In 1899, he was the Chairman of the Ulster District Institute of Journalists. In 1900, he became a barrister, and in 1904, he was also called to the English bar. In 1918, he became a King's Counsel.

A close friend of Joseph Devlin, Campbell stood for the Irish Parliamentary Party in South Monaghan at the 1918 UK general election but failed to take the seat. He became the first Treasurer of the Bar of Northern Ireland and first Secretary of the Circuit of Northern Ireland. In 1929, he was appointed to the Senate of Northern Ireland.

At the 1931 UK general election, Campbell stood unsuccessfully for the Nationalist Party in Belfast West. In 1934, he was elected to the Parliament of Northern Ireland in a by-election for Belfast Central, resigning his seat in the Senate. From 1937, he and Richard Byrne were the only Nationalist Party members to regularly attend the Parliament, and after Byrne's death in 1942, he was a lone voice against abstentionism in the party.

In November 1945, Campbell was a founder member of the Anti-Partition League of Ireland, but he resigned his seat shortly afterwards in order to take up a post as a County Court judge. He died the following year.

His grandson, Tom Campbell, contested three elections for the Alliance Party in North Belfast, and is currently (2007) an Alliance councillor in Newtownabbey.

References

*Michael Farrell, "Northern Ireland: The Orange State"
* [http://www.election.demon.co.uk/stormont/biographies.html Northern Ireland Parliamentary Elections Results: Biographies]