William Wilfred Campbell was born in Berlin (Kitchener), Ontario, on June 1, 1861. He was educated at the University of Toronto and continued on to the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1885, he was ordained to the Church of England ministry and, soon afterwards, was appointed to a parish in New England. Returning to Canada in 1888, he became Rector of St. Stephen, New Brunswick. He retired in 1891 from the Church and moved to Ottawa, where he began to write short poems in a village paper, after which he became a contributor to the Atlantic Monthly, the Century and Harper's. He had a number of volumes of his poems published. He was a member of the Royal Society of Canada. Campbell died in 1918.
Published
Title from content of the fonds.
Documents and published poems written by William Wilfred Campbell, dating to the late 19th century. Some of the poems are autographed while others have written annotations and corrections. Also a letter by J.S. McCuaig, dated May 17, 1886, about a request for the Crown's recognition of John A. Macdonald. The letter came with attached resolutions about a meeting of the Liberal Conservative Association at Town Hall Cherry Valley in 1886. Photocopy of pamphlet titled “The Dominion Campaign!: Sir John Macdonald on the Questions at Issue Before the People: The Premier's Great Speech Before the Workingmen of Toronto”.
Correspondence:
1\. to My Dear Sir from J. S. McCuaig re recognition by Crown of Sir John A. Macdonald. May 17, 1886
Poems:
2\. Untitled [part of "The Last Ride"]
3\. "An August Reverie"
4\. "The Children of the Light"
5\. "A Day in June" [autographed]
6\. "The Dread Voyage"
7\. "Life"
8\. "The Were-Wolves"[autographed, unpublished?]
9\. "Winter"
10\. "The Cloud Maiden" [autographed], 1892
Published material:
11\. "Premonitions"
12\. "The Dead Leader", June 10, 1891
Leaflet:
13\. Resolutions [Came attached to correspondence 1]
Pamphlet:
14\. "The Dominion Campaign. Sir John MacDonald on the Question at Issue before the People. The Premier's Great Speech before the Working men of Toronto"
Acquired by the Library as part of the McLaughlin Collection in 1970.
Reviewed by DR November 2018.