CAMPBELL, BARTLEY

(1843-1888)

Bartley Thomas Campbell was born in Pittsburgh, where he got his first newspaper job. He worked in various cities as a drama critic, but quit journalism with the production of his 1871 playThrough Fire.

He developed his skill as a writer ofmelodramaat Richard M. Hooley's Theatre in Chicago. When that company toured in San Francisco in 1875, Campbell discovered his affinity for the West, which inspired his best work, notablyMy Partner(1879) andThe White Slave(1882). Campbell was long hailed as a leading playwright, while his ventures as a producer were less successful.