John Archibald Campbell


Campbell, John Archibald

(1811–89) Supreme Court justice; born near Washington, Ga. An experienced lawyer, he was appointed by President Millard Fillmore to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1853. Known for his independence and strict interpretation of the Constitution, he was attacked by abolitionists for supporting the Dred Scott decision. He opposed secession but when Georgia seceded he resigned from the court (1861) and served as assistant secretary of war for the Confederacy (1862–65). After the war he took up private practice in New Orleans.