Mecklenburg County District Court judge, former appeals court judge Hugh Campbell Jr. dies

Hugh Brown Campbell Jr., a Mecklenburg County District Court judge who also served a term on the state Court of Appeals, as attorney for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education and as chairman of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party, died Friday. He was 78.

As a Mecklenburg County District Court judge, he was tough on DWI cases but often spoke fondly of the bailiffs and others he worked with, said his son, Hugh Campbell III.

The elder Campbell went on to serve one term as a judge on the state Court of Appeals in 2000, following in his father’s footsteps. He was appointed by Gov. Mike Easley as a district court judge in Mecklenburg in 2003.

Campbell was a graduate of Davidson College and Harvard School of Law. He was planning a reunion for the Myers Park High School class of 1955 when he became ill, his son said. Campbell died Friday at Mercy Hospital, where he was also born.

He retired from his work as a judge at age 72, as required by state law, his son said. He continued to serve as a special judge as needed, frequently returning to the bench in Gastonia and other areas. “He loved being a judge,” his son said.

Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Mary Irving Carlyle Campbell; three sons, Hugh Campbell III of Mount Airy and his wife Susan, Irving Carlyle Campbell of Toano, Va., and his wife Kim, and Thomas Lenoir Campbell of Charlotte and his wife Leah; six grandchildren; a brother, Wilburn “Bill” Campbell, of Columbia, S.C.; and a sister, Betty Cantey, also of Columbia.

Robertson Funeral and Cremation is handling final services.

This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Mecklenburg County District Court judge, former appeals court judge Hugh Campbell Jr. dies."