Campbell, Jack M.

Campbell was a Washburn alumnus and governor of New Mexico, 1963-1966.

Jack M. Campbell was born in Hutchinson, Kansas, on September 10, 1916. After going to Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, he began a law practice in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1940. Campbell was an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1941 to 1942 and served 26 months with the Third United States Marine Corps Division in the Pacific theater during World War II. He was a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from 1955 to 1962 and served as Speaker from 1961 to 1962 and chaired the state's legislative council in 1962 and the 33-state Interstate Oil Compact Commission from 1963 to 1964. Campbell was elected Governor of New Mexico in 1962 and reelected in 1964. He passed away on June 14, 1999.

Jack M. Campbell, Governor of New Mexico, 1963-1966, was born in Hutchinson, Kansas on September 10, 1916. Educated at Washburn College, Kansas, he received his BA in 1938 and LLB in 1940. Campbell came to New Mexico to practice law in 1940, became a special agent of the FBI in 1941, and served in the Marine Corps in the South Pacific 1942-1945.

Campbell practiced law in New Mexico almost continuously from 1946 to the present, while serving the state and the nation in several other capacities. He was executive secretary of the New Mexico Oil & Gas Association, 1946-47, president of the New Mexico Taxpayers Association, 1949-54, a member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, 1955-62 and Speaker of the House, 1961-62. He also served on the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of the Atomic Energy Commission, 1967-1971, the Institute for Social Research and Development at the University of New Mexico, 1969-72 and the National Space Applications Board, 1973-78.

Campbell was a popular and progressive governor. His two terms were characterized by his promotion of quality education at all levels as the key to New Mexico's future. He promoted scientific research, outdoor recreation and tourism as New Mexico's economic strengths. Campbell was also an active supporter of the call to change the encumbered and outdated state consititution. He persuaded the legislature to establish the Constitutional Revision Commission which led to the Constitutional Convention of 1969.