Ralph A. Campbell Jr. was an American politician who served as the 15thAuditor of North Carolina from 1993 to 2005. A Democrat, Campbell was the first African-American to hold statewide elected executive office in North Carolina.
Early life
Ralph Campbell Jr. was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, to June Campbell and Ralph Campbell Sr. Both his parents were outspoken community activists. Ralph Campbell Sr. served as the president of the Wake County Chapter of the NAACP and the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association during the 1960s. Ralph Jr. grew up with two brothers, William, and Eddie, and one sister, Mildred. All of the children attended Wake County Public Schools. Ralph's brother, William, was the first black student to attend an all-white public school in Raleigh. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell requested that all of their children integrate the schools, but only William was accepted at the time. Members of the board of education at the time said that the best way to do this experiment was to start with the youngest child they could. The Campbell family had to deal with harassment and threats from the local chapter of the KKK. After graduating from J. W. Ligon High School, Ralph Jr. attended St. Augustine's College, receiving a degree in business administration. He later took graduate-level business courses at North Carolina Central University.
Campbell was first elected to the Raleigh City Council in 1985 and was re-elected three additional times, serving as mayor pro tempore in his final term.
Campbell decided not to run for a fifth term on the Raleigh City Council in 1991, instead choosing to run for State Auditor in 1992. When Ralph first told his family that he would run for statewide office, they were skeptical on what results would come of it. "When Ralph first told us he was going to run for statewide office, we were, like, 'Come on'" said Mildred Christmas, Campbell's younger sister. Ralph Campbell would go on to win that election by almost seven points, defeating his challenger, Vernon Abernathy, with a total of 53% of the vote. Ralph Campbell would spend the next 12 years in office, overseeing a staff that conducted about 3,600 audits, including some in the face of political pressure. He also brought more technology to the office. Ralph Campbell would be elected two more times with close margins. He won in 1996 by only 2.34%, defeating three challengers: Jack Daly, Robert J. Dorsey, and Theordore Janokowski. He would win his third term in 2000 with only 30,000 more votes than his challenger, Leslie "Les" Merritt. On November 2, 2004, Campbell lost his bid for a fourth term for State Auditor, losing by 0.87% to Leslie "Les" Merritt.
Death
On January 11, 2011, Ralph Campbell Jr. died from lung cancer. His final words to his siblings were simple: "He looked up at us, and he said 'I love you' and he looked at all three of us", said his younger sister Mildred. Following his death, Ralph Campbell Jr. laid in rest in the State Capitol rotunda. Governor Beverly Perdue also ordered that all North Carolina flags at state facilities were to be flown at half-staff in his honor. "In 1963 my father took Mildred and Ralph to the march on Washington, where they both heard that great speech by Dr. King, "I Have a Dream," and thirty years later Ralph fulfilled that dream by being elected the State Auditor…" – William "Bill" Campbell, at Ralph Campbell Jr.'s funeral. 'His entire life Ralph Campbell was a gift to the people of North Carolina." – Beverly Perdue
