Thomas C. Campbell

Thomas C. Campbell (April 25, 1845 January 4, 1904), also known as T. C. Campbell, was an American lawyer and Republican political boss of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Biography Campbell was born on April 25, 1845, in Rochester, New York, to Scottish American parents.

After leaving the army, Campbell moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked as a bookkeeper while studying law at the Cincinnati Law School. In 1867, he was elected quartermaster general of the Grand Army of the Republic and appointed editor of its official organ, The Republic. He was elected to City Council in 1868 and the following year was appointed Assistant Collector of Internal Revenue of the Cincinnati district. With his protégé, George B. Cox, he controlled much of city government. They were supported by The Cincinnati Enquirer and its Democratic publisher John R. McLean. In 1883, The Cincinnati Post launched a series of attacks against Campbell. Campbell responded by suing the paper for libel in front of a partially fixed jury. Amid threats from the Cox machine, the Post hired bodyguards for its editors and managers. In 1884, Cox would later take Campbell's place as head of the city's Republican machine. Campbell continued practicing law both in New York and in Ohio. He was twice nominated to run for Congress but declined both times.

On January 3, 1904, Campbell arrived in New York harbor, having fallen ill aboard the yacht Roamer when it went ashore at Rum Cay in the Bahamas. He died in his sleep the next day in Brooklyn.