By Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD
Our Rich History editor
(Editor’s note: We’re celebrating ten years of Our Rich History! You can browse and read any of the past columns, from the present all the way back to our start on May 6, 2015, at our newly updated database.)
Anne Campbell was an educational, cultural and political force for good during the first half of the 20th century in Northern Kentucky. Tens of thousands of children, and perhaps even more adults, would have been familiar with her untiring work as director of physical education for Covington elementary schools, head of the Women’s Department of the YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association) in Covington, a pioneering leader of the Girl Scouts, summer director of playgrounds for Covington, and twice a candidate for Kenton County Clerk.
An active supporter of the Republican Party, Anne Campbell was “besieged by many friends” to run for the office of Kenton County Clerk in 1925. The Republican Party viewed her as capable of winning the August primary, as according to the “Kentucky Post” of June 18, 1925, she “enjoys a wide acquaintance thruout [sic] the city and county” (p. 1).
The Republican Party leaders were correct. In the August Republican primary, Campbell was victorious. Her next hurdle was the November 1925 election. The “Kentucky Post” of October 31, 1925 recognized the significance of her candidacy, proclaiming that she was “the only woman nominee in either of the Northern Kentucky counties [Kenton and Campbell].” Further, she was “known to every home in Covington,” was “making an aggressive campaign,” and was “backed by the women of the community” (p. 1).
The November 1925 election was surprisingly close for the time period, especially considering that the incumbent county clerk, Democratic John W. Middendorf, was running again. Middendorf defeated Campbell, 15,505 to 12,727 (“Kenton-Co. Vote,” “Kentucky Post,” November 7, 1925, p. 2).
The 1925 political contest was close enough for the Republican Party to run Anne Campbell for a second time as Kenton County Clerk four years later. The “Kentucky Post” of June 25, 1929 seemed hopeful, proclaiming that she was “widely known in Northern Kentucky” and had been “a resident of Kenton-co ever since she came here from Pendelton-co as a teacher” (p. 1). Nevertheless, deteriorating economic conditions nationwide did not prove favorable to the Republican Party. Campbell lost the election to the Democratic candidate Sam Furste, 16,191 to 10,749 votes.
Although political office eluded her during a time period when women’s roles were restricted, Campbell nevertheless continued to succeed as director of physical education for Covington’s elementary schools and director of Covington’s summer playgrounds, as well as in her roles with the Women’s Department of the YMCA and with the Girl Scouts.
By 1930, the Covington Park Board “lauded” Anne Campbell for her dedicated service, noting in their report that during the prior summer (1929) “the playgrounds had an average daily attendance of more than 1500 children” (“Betterment of Playgrounds Suggested; Increased Demand for Parks Cited in Report; Miss Campbell Praised,” “Kentucky Post,” January 8, 1930, p. 1).
Anne Campbell’s political influence continued as well. In 1930, with the death of its chairman John J. Craig, the Republican County Executive Committee of Kenton-co, Kentucky, vested the chair position to Anne Campbell. In that role, she oversaw the county’s 1930 Republican Campaign Committee (“Woman Heads Kenton G.O.P: Miss Anne Campbell Now Directs Republicans,” “Kentucky Post,” September 30, 1930, p. 1).
In 1932, the Republican Party of Kentucky named Campbell a “presidential elector to succeed Frank B. Russell, who resigned because” he was “on the ticket as a congressional nominee” (“Dry Keynote Sounded for Republicans,” “Kentucky Post,” September 8, 1932, p. 1).
After 50 years of service to Covington Public Schools (1902–1952), Anne Campbell retired. A longtime advocate of the PTA (Parent teachers Association), Campbell’s name was to “be recorded in the honor book in the foyer of the new PTA Building,” then being constructed in Chicago (“P.-T.A.,” “Kentucky Post,” March 17, 1953, p. 2).
In March 1969, Anne Campbell died at age 90 at her home at 227 Wallace Avenue in the Wallace Woods neighborhood of Covington. Her achievements were many, especially the rich legacy of her positive influences on the children of Northern Kentucky.
Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD is Editor of the “Our Rich History” weekly series and Professor of History at Northern Kentucky University (NKU). To browse ten years of past columns, see: https://nkytribune.com/category/living/our-rich-history/. Tenkotte also serves as Director of the ORVILLE Project (Ohio River Valley Innovation Library and Learning Engagement). For more information see https://orvillelearning.org/. He can be contacted at tenkottep@nku.edu.
