Ralph Campbell

Ralph Campbell Jr. (December 7, 1946 – January 11, 2011) was an American politician and auditor who served as the North Carolina State Auditor from 1993 to 2005. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American to hold statewide elected executive office in North Carolina. Campbell was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, and he attended St. Augustine's College. He graduated with a degree in business administration in 1968, and served in the United States Army Reserve from 1971 until 1977. After leaving the reserve, he worked various government jobs before being elected to the Raleigh City Council in 1985. In 1992, Campbell ran for North Carolina State Auditor and was elected, defeating Republican Vernon Abernethy. Taking office in January 1993, he equipped office staff with desktop computers and field auditors with laptop computers during his first term and pushed for the implementation of an entirely digital auditing system. Campbell conducted several high-profile audits during his tenure, occasionally annoying government workers and other Democrats. Re-elected in 1996 and 2000, he lost a bid for a fourth term to Republican Les Merritt. Leaving office in 2005, Campbell worked as a consultant and served as treasurer of the North Carolina Democratic Party. Campbell was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2010, and he died the following year. Early life Ralph Campbell Jr. was born on December 7, 1946, in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States to Ralph Campbell Sr. and June Kay Campbell. Both of his parents were civil rights activists. His maternal grandmother, Willie Otey Kay, was a prominent dressmaker in Raleigh. Ralph Jr. grew up with two brothers, Bill (who would later serve as Mayor of Atlanta) and Eddie, and one sister, Mildred. In 1960, the elder Campbells requested that the Raleigh School Board admit Ralph Jr., Mildred, and Bill to attend all-white schools. The board allowed Bill to be transferred—and thus become the first black student to attend an all-white public school in the city—but denied the applications for Ralph Jr. and Mildred, citing overcrowding at the junior high school to which they sought admission.