James Marshall Campbell was a priest who devoted his life to Catholic University of America as a professor in the Greek and Latin Department, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, a scholar and a priest and later a monsignor.
Campbell was born on September 30, 1895 in Warsaw, N.Y. He was educated at Hamilton College (1913-1917) to receive a major in Greek, Princeton University (1917-1918), and Catholic University of America (1919-1920) to receive his M.A. in Greek. Soon after, he received his Ph.D. in Greek from Catholic University of America (1920-1923). He prepared for the priesthood at the Sulpician Seminary, now the Theological College and was ordained on June 14, 1926.
Campbell wrote a master thesis titled 'The Question of the Origins of Tragedy' (1920) and doctoral thesis titled 'The Influence of the Second Sophistic on the Style of the Sermons of St. Basil (1923), before he academic became an assistant in classics (1920-19210). Soon after he became an instructor in classics (1921-1927), associate professor of Greek civilization (1927-1932) and finally a professor of Greek (1932). He was fluent in English, Attic Greek, Latin, German, and French. His professional studies included advanced Attic Greek composition, ancient Greek tragedy, Greek philosophy, ancient history, history of classical philosophy, and Greek fathers. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and had membership in the America Philological Association, and the Medieval Academy of America. He has written several books, journal articles and contributions on the classics as well as numerous problems and resolutions in colleges. He was also an associate editor for Catholic University's Patristic Series.
Campbell served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (1934) until his retirement (1966). During which, he was the Director of the Pacific Coast Branch of the Summer Session (1932-1970), helped develop a plan of concentration for the curriculum which is partially modeled off of the Princeton preceptorial system, and cut out football at Catholic University as an intercollegiate sport. A number of academic controversies during his term created a rift between the Arts and Sciences faculty within the departments and Campbell. There was a walk (February 1966), and was soon followed by a petition for the replacement of the Dean (March 1966).
Campbell was a chaplain at Holy Cross Academy and Dumbarton College while working at Catholic University of America, and where he resided until 1973. He was also named a Domestic Prelate of His Holiness Pope John XXIII (1959). He died the evening of March 25, 1977 at St. Joseph's Home of the Little Sisters of the Poor.
The papers of James Marshall Campbell reflect his passion for scholarly research, his devotion to Catholic University of America and the Roman Catholic Church. Campbell's papers are divided into five series.
The first series, Catholic University and the College of Arts and Sciences Files, 1931-1976, in box 1 are organized alphabetically. The bulk of these papers relate to James Marshall Campbell's years as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences of The Catholic University of America. This series includes booklets, bulletins, correspondence both typed and handwritten, newspaper articles, notes on orientations, seminars and talks from various universities. It also includes as documents concerning the Greek and Latin Department, the Pacific Coast Branch, Princeton University, meetings, budgets, a Middle States Evaluation, and Statutes, Constitution and By-Laws.
The second series, Research, Teaching and Publication Files, 1936-1965, n.d., in boxes 2-5 are organized alphabetically. The bulk of these papers relate to James Marshall Campbell's research as well as teaching material. The series includes books, one is particularly fragile and in poor condition, handwritten Greek and Latin digests, handwritten as well as typed notes, course syllabi and other related material. There is also research publications, as well as two samples. The first sampling is a Greek and Latin digest, a collection of index cards that represents just how organized and meticulous his research notes were. The second sampling, is about his students. It is a collection of larger index cards that represents that he kept organized lists of individuals, which can be assumed are his students.
The third series, Ecclesiastical Files, 1956-1976, in boxes 6-7, are organized alphabetically. The bulk of these papers relate to James Marshall Campbell's duties as a priest. A majority of the series is comprised of handwritten homilies and miscellaneous writings. It also includes printed documents from the Archdiocese of Washington, various newspaper articles, journals, as well as pamphlets and booklets. Material on sacraments, pastoral instruction and liturgical directives were also collected and kept together.
The fourth series, Personal Materials, 1905, 1918, 1945-1976, in box 7, is organized alphabetically. The bulk of these papers directly relate to James Marshall Campbell and his personal life. The series includes a biography of his life, written in 1958 for the Catholic Commission the Intellectual and Cultural Affairs as a questionnaire for priests. As well as a handwritten diabetic chart from 1976, a prayer card with a German prayer, a manual of piety and 2 small German prayer books.
The fifth series, Photographs, 1952, 1967, 1971, in box 7, is organized chronologically. The series includes 4 medium-sized black-and-white photographs of James Marshall Campbell: one of him sitting at his desk in Villa Madonna College, Cardinal O' Boyle's 50th Anniversary Celebration and 2 of Campbell placing mortar at laying of cornerstone of a library at another university.
The sixth series is Restricted Files, box 8, which includes restricted items, usually sensitive personal material, pulled from the other series. For access questions, please contact lib-archives@cua.edu
The John Marshall Campbell Papers consists of 6 Series:
The sixth series, box 8, is Restricted Files, which includes restricted material pulled from the other series.
James Magner Collection
This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
These materials were removed from Little Sisters of the Poor on 220 H Street, N.E. Washington, D.C. by Mr. Wagner and Mr. Ed Belanger and brought to the archives on May 3 and 12, 1977. The donor was Mrs. Charlotte Kemp, James Marshall Campbell's sister. It was moved from Mullen Library and transferred to the Archives by Dustin Booher. It was received on April 4, 2014 and accessioned April 15, 2016.
Processing completed in 2018 by Ronnie Marie Georgieff. EAD markup completed in 2018 by Ronnie Marie Georgieff.
This series contains alphabetical files of Catholic University and the College of the Arts and Sciences detailing James Marshall Campbell's administrative involvement as Dean. It includes booklets, bulletins, correspondence both typed and handwritten, newspaper articles, notes on orientations, seminars and talks from various universities. It also includes as documents concerning the Greek and Latin Department, the Pacific Coast Branch, Princeton University, meetings, budgets, a Middle States Evaluation, and Statutes, Constitution and By-Laws.
This series contains research and teaching material. There are also research publications as well as a sampling of James Marshall Campbell's organized and meticulous notes as well as a sampling of organized student information.
The book is very fragile, due to age and use, it is in poor condition.
A collection of index cards that represents just how organized and meticulous Campbell's research notes were.
It is a collection of larger index cards that represents Campbell's organized lists of individuals, which can be assumed, are his students.
This series contains James Marshall Campbell's files relating to his priesthood. There are numerous homilies and miscellaneous writings, printed documents from the Archdiocese of Washington, various newspaper articles, journals, pamphlets, booklets, sacraments, pastoral instruction and liturgical directives.
This series contains documents relating to James Marshall Campbell's personal life. There is a biography, a diabetic chart, German prayer books, a manual of piety, as well as a German prayer card.
2 books are fragile, in poor condition from usage. 1 of them is a prayer card with a German prayer written on the back. 2 books are written in German.
This series contains 4 black and white photographs of James Marshall Campbell.
This series is restricted. It includes restricted items, usually sensitive personal material, pulled from the other series. For access questions, please contact lib-archives@cua.edu