Howard Edmond Campbell

Howard Edmond Campbell (January 4, 1890 – January 6, 1971) was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania who served one term in Congress from 1945 to 1947. Over the course of his career, he was active in business and civic affairs in Pittsburgh and played a role in the legislative process during a pivotal period in American history at the close of World War II.

Campbell was born on January 4, 1890, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was educated in the public schools of Pittsburgh, reflecting the city’s growing urban school system in the early twentieth century. He later attended the University of Pittsburgh, an experience that provided him with the academic foundation for his subsequent work in business and public life. His early years in Pittsburgh, a major industrial and commercial center, helped shape his later focus on real estate, commerce, and community development.

By 1922, Campbell had entered the real estate and insurance business in Pittsburgh, establishing himself in fields that were closely tied to the city’s economic expansion and postwar growth. He built a professional reputation in these industries and became increasingly involved in local business organizations. His leadership in the real estate community culminated in his service as president of the Pittsburgh Real Estate Board in 1943 and 1944, a position that placed him at the forefront of local efforts to manage property development, housing, and commercial expansion during the World War II era.

Campbell’s prominence in business and civic affairs provided a platform for his entry into national politics. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected as a Republican to the Seventy-ninth Congress and served as a Representative from Pennsylvania from January 3, 1945, to January 3, 1947. His term in the U.S. House of Representatives coincided with a significant period in American history, encompassing the final months of World War II and the beginning of the postwar transition. As a member of the House of Representatives, Howard Edmond Campbell participated in the democratic process, contributed to the legislative work of the Seventy-ninth Congress, and represented the interests of his Pennsylvania constituents during debates over reconversion to a peacetime economy, veterans’ issues, and domestic readjustment.

Despite his active service in Congress, Campbell’s national political career was limited to a single term. In 1946, he sought renomination as the Republican Party candidate for the Eightieth Congress but was unsuccessful in his bid. After leaving Congress in January 1947, he returned to private life and continued to be involved in business and community affairs in Pittsburgh, drawing on his long experience in real estate, insurance, and local economic development.

In the years following his congressional service, Campbell remained a civic leader in Pittsburgh. He served as president of the East Liberty Chamber of Commerce in 1954 and 1955, reflecting his continued engagement with commercial and neighborhood development in one of the city’s important business districts. Through this role, he contributed to efforts to promote local commerce and to address the economic challenges and opportunities facing East Liberty in the postwar period.

Howard Edmond Campbell resided in Pittsburgh for the remainder of his life, maintaining his ties to the city where he had been born, educated, and conducted his business and political career. He died in Pittsburgh on January 6, 1971, at the age of 81.