J. Phil Campbell, Jr. Papers
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteJ. Phil Campbell, Jr. (1917-1998) was an agricultural expert with a career spanning over sixty years that included work as a farmer, Georgia state representative, Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture, U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture, and consultant. Campbell began farming at the age of 18 while simultaneously attending the University of Georgia Agriculture School. He began with raising cotton until he earned enough to fund a dairy farm. During World War II, he served for four years as a trainer in the Army Air Corps. Campbell's political career began in 1948 when he was elected as a Democrat to represent Oconee County in the Georgia House of Representatives. During his tenure, he served as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee for four years and was also a member of the Ways and Means Committee, Appropriations Committee, and University System Committee. In 1954, Campbell was elected as Georgia's Commissioner of Agriculture. He served in this position until 1969 and was re-elected each time with little or no opposition. His major accomplishments included developing the Atlanta State Farm Market and improving farmers' markets throughout the state, establishing the first state hog cholera eradication program that became a national model, and obtaining federal funding to eradicate the screwworm and the fire ant, both pests that can be detrimental to agriculture. Following the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Campbell became disenchanted with the Democratic Party and switched to the Republican Party, becoming a supporter of Richard Nixon. When Nixon became president, he brought Campbell in as Under Secretary of Agriculture. Campbell held this post from 1969 to 1975, serving under Secretaries Clifford Hardin and Earl Butz during the administrations of presidents Nixon and Ford. As Under Secretary, he represented the U.S. Department of Agriculture at numerous events, helped oversee a period of increased farm income and farm exports, and continued his work on fire ant eradication programs. Campbell transitioned to the private sector in 1975, working as an international government affairs consultant for Gold Kist (1975-1979) and then doing similar work as an independent consultant for the remainder of his career. As a consultant, he researched and offered advice on agriculture legislation, policies, and practices. Scope and ContentThe J. Phil Campbell, Jr. Papers document the entirety of Campbell's career in agriculture, including as a farmer, Georgia state representative, Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture, U.S. Under Secretary of Agriculture, and consultant. The papers include correspondence, research materials, speeches, and appointment calendars. Common subjects include the progression of Campbell's career, economic policy related to agriculture, international trade of agricultural products, various agricultural industries, especially poultry and dairy farming and programs to eradicate fire ants. Organization and ArrangementThis collection is organized into 6 series: I. Georgia General Assembly Representative, II. Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture, III. Under Secretary of Agriculture, IV. Consultant, V. Personal and Farm, and VI. Photographs. Administrative InformationConditions Governing AccessThis collection is open for research use. Series II. Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture and Series V. Personal and Farm include audiovisual recordings. Reference copies of audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings. Preferred citationJ. Phil Campbell, Jr. Papers, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641. Processing InformationMany of the boxes received by the Russell Library contained papers from all areas of Campbell's careers that were not in folders or in any order. These papers were sorted into the appropriate series based on the date they were created. They were placed into folders by subject when a group of related papers could be identified, and the rest were placed in folders with the label "Printed Materials and Correspondence." Copyright InformationBefore material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. Conditions Governing UseLibrary acts as a "fair use" reproduction agent. Finding Aid PublicationFinding Aid prepared by Adriane Hanson, 2015. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
Lamartine Griffin Hardman Papers Related Collections in Other RepositoriesRecords of the Agriculture Commissioner's Office (Record Group 13 1) at the Georgia Archives |
Special Collections Libraries
University of Georgia
Athens, GA 30602-1641