Alexander Bradshaw Campbell

CAMPBELL, P.C., Q.C., LL.D., HONOURABLE ALEXANDER BRADSHAW, b. 1 December 1933 in Summerside, son of Thane Alexander Campbell* and Cecilia Lillian Bradshaw; m. 19 August 1961 Marilyn Ruth Gilmour, and they had three children, Blair Alexander, Heather Kathryn, and Graham Melville; United. Campbell, a Liberal, was first elected to the Legislative Assembly in a by-election held 9 February 1965 for 5,h Prince. He was re-elected in the general elections of 1966, 1970, 1974, and 1978. He was elected party leader in December 1965 and became Leader of the Opposition in 1966. On 28 July 1966, at the age of 32, Campbell became premier. He served as Attorney-General from that date until 1969. He became a member of the Privy Council on 5 July 1967. From 1969 to 1972, he was Minister of Development and, from 6 September 1972 to 2 May 1974, served as Minister of Agriculture and Forestry. Campbell held the positions of Minister of Justice and Attorney and Advocate General from 2 May 1974 to September 1978. He added the Ministry of Cultural Affairs on 1 July 1976. He led the Liberals to four consecutive victories in general elections, the only premier to accomplish this feat. Campbell resigned in September 1978, five months after leading the Liberals to a narrow victory in that year's general election. Campbell's father represented 1st Prince from 1931 to 1943, and served as premier from 1936 to 1943. "Alex" Campbell's premiership is inextricably linked with the Comprehensive Development Plan. He recognized the need for federal support if the province was to survive as a viable economic entity. Campbell believed in the necessity of change and the value of new ideas. To address the need for economic growth, the Development Plan was conceived. Due to the unprecedented financial support from Ottawa, the Campbell government set the province on a path of economic development and social and cultural change never before seen in the province. The effects of the Comprehensive Development Plan cannot be diminished. A greatly increased provincial civil service was created, and it rose in numbers from 1,435 in 1966 to 2,658 in 1974. The population of the urban areas greatly increased and was paralleled by an increase in the rural non-farm population. Holland College and the University of Prince Edward Island were created, the public education system was restructured from 370 local school boards to five consolidated school boards, and many new educational facilities were built or w'ere improved significantly. The agriculture industry was radically changed, first as a result of education programs for agriculture producers, and subsequently by encouraging producers to organize producer-owned marketing agencies. The Campbell Administration created the Land Development Corporation and the Prince Edw'ard Island Lending Authority to ensure that farmers would continue to have affordable access to land, given the finite nature of the resource in the province. Industrial development was also a major emphasis of the Plan. To this end, industrial parks were constructed in West Royalty and Summerside, and efforts were made to attract manufacturing companies to the province. Economic development grants to local entrepreneurs were also a focus of the government. The Plan had many other effects as well, such as improvements to the provincial health and welfare system and to the tourism industry. Though the Plan accelerated the decline of rural institutions, Campbell sought to offset the social upheaval it created. He instituted the Family Farm Capital Grants Program to slow the decrease in the number of family farms. He made efforts to ensure that Islanders continued to maintain control of their land base by implementing legislation restricting non-resident land ownership. During Campbell's term as premier, the Prince Edward Island Heritage Foundation was created. The Institute of Man and Resources was created with the mandate to explore alternative energy sources. In retrospect, the Plan certainly did not improve the economy to the degree to which it was intended. Upon his resignation, Campbell lamented the degree to which the province continued to depend on the federal government. Nonetheless, Islanders enjoy the benefits of, for example, a well-trained professional civil service, greatly improved educational facilities, and a better-organized agriculture industry. The Campbell government entrenched these institutions into Island society. Alex Campbell graduated from Summerside High School in 1951, following which he attended Dalhousie University, graduating in 1959 with a Bachelor of Arts and with a Bachelor of Law. Liter that year he was called to the provincial Bar. Campbell practised law in Summerside from 1959 until he took up politics full-time. He was awarded the designation of Queen's Counsel in 1966. In 1978 Campbell resigned as premier and was later appointed to the Supreme Court. He retired from the Court in 1994. Campbell was involved in a number of community' activities. In 1952 he was the skip of the Prince Edward Island Schoolboy curling champions. Following university he was a secretary of the Summerside Board of Trade. Campbell was a member of the Summerside Ys Men's Club and served as president of the YMCA from 1980 to 1991. He was an elder at Trinity United Church in Summerside. In 1982 Campbell w'as appointed Prince Edward Island coordinator of the Governor General's Canadian Study Conference held in 1983. He was the Prince Edward Island chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards from 1984 to 1990. Campbell served as chairman of the Institute of Man and Resources and as a board member of the Prince Edward Island Museum and Heritage Foundation. From 1983 to 1990, he chaired the Summerside and Area Historical Society. In 1976 he was awarded a Doctor of Law's degree from McGill and in 1979 a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Prince Edward Island. Alex Campbell and his wife reside in Stanley Bridge. Marilyn Ruth Campbell is the daughter of Melville A. Gilmour of Guelph, Ontario.