Murdock A. Campbell (January 16, 1889 – August 29, 1972) was a Vermont attorney and military officer who served as Adjutant General of the Vermont National Guard.
Early life Murdock Alexander Campbell was born in Graniteville, Vermont, on January 16, 1889.U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942, entry for Murdock Alexander Campbell, retrieved December 28, 2013Vermont, Vital Records, 1720-1908, Birth record for Murdock A. Campbell, retrieved December 28, 2013 He graduated from Goddard Seminary and worked at a local granite quarry.Associated Press, Nashua Telegraph, General Campbell Dies; Led Vt.’s National Guard, August 31, 1972
Campbell graduated from Albany Business College now (Bryant & Stratton College) and studied at the University of Maine School of Law.University of Maine, Maine Law Review, Volumes 11-13, 1918, page 145Vermont Secretary of State, Vermont Legislative Directory, 1929, page 573
World War I He joined the 57th Pioneer Infantry Regiment and deployed to France for World War I. Enlisting as a private, he rose to sergeant major before receiving his commission in September, 1918. He served in France from September 1918 to June 1919 and was discharged in July 1919.U.S., Adjutant General Military Records, 1631-1976, Vermont Roster, 1917-1919, entry for Murdock Alexander Campbell, retrieved December 28, 2013
Post-World War I Following the war, Campbell resumed studying law.Associated Press, Bridgeport Post, Gen. Campbell Dies in Vermont, August 31, 1972 In 1925, he received his LL.B. degree from National University School of Law (now George Washington University Law School).Associated Press, Bridgeport Post, Gen. Campbell Dies in Vermont, August 31, 1972 In 1926, he received a Master of Laws (LL.M.) and a Master of Patent Law (M.P.L) from National University.
He practiced law in Northfield in partnership with Frank Plumley and Charles Albert Plumley.Vermont Historical Society, Proceedings of the Vermont Historical Society, 1926, page 267 A Republican, he served as Assistant Secretary of the Vermont State Senate from 1927 to 1931 and Secretary from 1931 to 1933.Bennington Banner, Gen. Murdock A. Campbell, 83, former adjutant general, dies, August 31, 1972 During his term as Secretary, his assistant was Ernest W. Gibson, Jr., with whom Campbell also served in the Vermont National Guard.Vermont General Assembly, Journal of the Vermont State Senate, 1933, page 114National Guard Bureau, Official National Guard register, 1922, page 255
From 1933 to 1941, Campbell was Vermont's Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles.Vermont Agency of Transportation, A Report on Transportation in Vermont, 1974, page 130
Campbell continued his military service after World War I and rose through the ranks to colonel and commander of the 172nd Infantry Regiment, a unit of the 43rd Infantry Division.U.S. Military Records: Official National Guard Register entry for Murdock A. Campbell, 1925, retrieved December 28, 2013
Campbell later took a reduction in rank to lieutenant colonel and a position on the division staff, which enabled Leonard F. Wing to receive promotion to colonel and command of the regiment.National Survey, Inc., Vermont Year Book, 1930, page 368
World War II In 1941, Campbell was mobilized with the 172nd Infantry Regiment and sent to Camp Blanding for training in preparation for deployment overseas. In June Campbell was called home and appointed Assistant Adjutant General, aiding longtime incumbent Herbert Thomas Johnson during Johnson's extended illness.Modern Printing Company (Barre, Vermont), Vermont: Its Government, 1945, page 13Hazel McLeod Wills, Bill Wills and Company, 1953, page 47
Campbell succeeded Johnson as Adjutant General when Johnson retired in December 1941.Vermont Adjutant General, Annual Report, 1955, page 15
During the war, Campbell was responsible for mobilizing and deploying Vermont National Guard members to overseas theaters for World War II, and for creating and overseeing the Vermont State Guard, a volunteer organization which handled the in-state duties of the Vermont National Guard while Guard members were overseas.
Post-World War II Following World War II Campbell's duties were centered on the reorganization of the post-war reorganization of the National Guard and the creation of the Air National Guard.
Campbell was also responsible for overseeing the deployment of Vermont soldiers and airmen mobilized for the Korean War, and for out processing and demobilizing them after the war.
Campbell served as Adjutant General until retiring in 1955. He was succeeded by Francis William Billado, another attorney, member of the Vermont National Guard and longtime acquaintance of Campbell.Associated Press, Bennington Banner, Francis Billado Named Adjutant General of State, February 18, 1955National Guard Association of the United States, The National Guardsman, Volume 9, 1955, page 26
Death and burial In retirement, Campbell lived in Berlin, Vermont.
He died at the Berlin Convalescent Home on August 29, 1972. He was buried in Northfield's Mount Hope Cemetery.Vermont Death Records, 1909-2008, entry for Murdock A. Campbell, retrieved December 28, 2013U.S. Social Security Death Index, 1935-2013, entry for Murdock A. Campbell, retrieved December 28, 2013
Awards Campbell was the first recipient of the Vermont Distinguished Service Medal.Vermont Adjutant General, Annual Report, 1955, pages 14-15
References
External links , retrieved December 17, 2013