Robert Campbell
1804–1879
Fur Trader, Businessman
A native of Northern Ireland, Campbell came to St. Louis in 1824. He joined General William Ashley’s expedition to the fur trading country along with William Sublette. Eventually, Campbell and Sublette became partners in the Rocky Mountain Fur Company and founded Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Their fortunes secure, Campbell and Sublette retired from fur trading and returned to St. Louis to open a retail store.
In later years, Campbell was president of two banks and acquired many parcels of real estate including the Southern Hotel. The home in Lucas Place, which Robert and Virginia Campbell established about 1855, is now a museum at 1508 Locust Street and is open to the public.
