James King Campbell was born on May 15, 1895, in North Carolina. Campbell joined the National Guard in June 1916 while in Etowah, Tennessee. During World War I, he served with the 117th Infantry, the 164th Infantry, and the 128th Infantry. He was deployed overseas from August 1918 to May 1919 and received an honorable discharge on May 16, 1919. He died in Salisbury (Rowan County) on April 20, 1964.