Thomas Campbell (1777-1844) was a bestselling Scottish poet and author active during the Romantic period. Campbell was also known for his interests in philanthropy and education, and renowned as a prominent public figure, serving three years as rector of the University of Glasgow.

The youngest of eleven siblings, Thomas Campbell was born on 27 July 1777, to Alexander Campbell (1710-1801) and Margaret (1736-1812; née Campbell), in High Street, Glasgow. Both his parents came from middle-class merchant families, who had gone into business together and married to cement ties. By the time of Campbell’s birth, his father’s business importing tobacco had floundered due to the American War of Independence, and each of …

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Citation: Wilcockson, Amy. "Thomas Campbell". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 September 2020 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=721, accessed 03 May 2024.]

721 Thomas Campbell 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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