Peter Stewart Campbell came to Champaign County when he was a small boy, learned the trade in one of the shops of the county and for many years has been identified either with a newspaper establishment or with a printing shop of his own. He now has one of the principal job printing houses of Urbana.
Mr. Campbell was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, April 18, 1868, a son of Archibald B. and Christina (Stewart) Campbell. He was one of seven children, named as follows: Alexander, deceased; Jennie, wife of G. L. Baker, of Champaign; Mary, widow of Robert Leslie, living at Pittsfield, Illinois; John and William, both deceased; Peter Stewart; and Archibald, of Tolono.
The father of these children was a drainage contractor and died in Scotland in 1872. The following year the widowed mother brought her family to America, and soon located near Tolono, where she lived until her death in 1916. Peter S. Campbell received his education at Tolono and in 1881 began learning the printing trade. He served his apprenticeship in Champaign County and in 1887 went to Wichita, Kansas, where he spent about a year as a printer. On returning to Champaign County he became connected with the Urbana Herald, and was with that journal nine years. For a short time he was with the Champaign News, and then opened a shop of his own but sold out after six months. Then followed a relationship for nine years with the Urbana Daily Courier. On leaving the Courier Mr. Campbell opened a shop of his own and now has all the facilities as well as the experience for first class work in general commercial printing.
He was married May 20, 1891, to Elizabeth Brown, of Rantoul. They have three children: Raymond B., William V., and Eleanor Pauline. Mr. Campbell is a Republican, a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Improved Order of Red Men, and he and his family worship in the Methodist Episcopal Church.