Thomas D. Campbell facts for kids

Thomas D. Campbell (1882–1966) was known as the "World's Wheat King." He was famous for growing more wheat than anyone else on his huge farms, the Campbell Farming Corporation. He was a pioneer in what's called industrialized corporate farming. This means he used big machines and business methods to farm on a very large scale.

Thomas Campbell also worked as an expert in agriculture. He gave advice to governments in Britain, France, and the Soviet Union. For example, he helped Joseph Stalin in 1929 with plans for large-scale farming in the Soviet Union. During World War II, he served in the U.S. military. He helped create a special type of fire bomb used in the Pacific War. In 1946, he became a brigadier general in the Air Force.

Early Life and Education

Thomas D. Campbell, Jr., was born on February 19, 1882. His birthplace was Grand Forks, North Dakota. His parents were Thomas Campbell Sr. and Almira (Richards) Campbell.

His parents were from Scotland. They moved to North Dakota in 1875 from Perth, Ontario, in Canada. They built a log cabin on 80 acres of land they bought. Thomas was a very good student. He was the top student at Central High School in 1898.

After high school, he went to a special school called Upper Canada College. Then, he studied at the University of North Dakota. He was the first person to graduate from that university with an engineering degree in 1904. In 1906, he married Bess McBride Bull. Her father, George Bull, helped start the famous company Cream of Wheat. Soon after they married, Thomas and Bess moved to Pasadena, California.

Building a Farming Empire

When Thomas Campbell arrived in California, he started working for a company called J.S. Torrance Farming Corporation. Later, he decided to start his own company, the Campbell Farming Corporation.

During the First World War, many people believed that "Food Would Win the War." Thomas Campbell agreed. He knew that wheat would be very important. He came up with a plan for the government. His idea was to use powerful machines to farm huge areas of dry land. The government liked his plan and told him to find suitable land.

He chose four large areas on Native American reservations in Montana and Wyoming. These were the Shoshone, Blackfoot, Fort Peck, and Crow Indian reservations. An important part of his agreement was that the tribes would get 10% of the money from the crops.

Campbell chose land on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana. This land was near the Bighorn River. He received $2,000,000 in funding from J.P. Morgan, a very famous banker. With this money, he began farming 200,000 acres (about 81,000 hectares) of land.

Legacy

Thomas D. Campbell's childhood home, called the Thomas D. Campbell House, is a special historical place. It is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.