The previous mayor, David Goldie, was held in high regard by both the city councillors and the voters but he did not contest the poll; as a temperance advocate, he did not want to toast the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York who were to visit in June 1901 with alcohol.

Campbell agreed on the proviso that he would only take on representative functions, with most mayoral tasks taken on by a deputy, and resign after the royal visit.

[1] There was a strong groundswell of opinion that the city's mayoralty should be held by someone of high status for the occasion of the royal visit, and a requisition was put to John Logan Campbell on 11 March.

[3][4] Campbell was nominated by the outgoing mayor, Goldie, and by George Fowlds, MHR for City of Auckland.

[6] Joseph Witheford, MHR for the City of Auckland electorate, received a requisition on 14 March signed by 600 citizens.

[18] As Campbell had indicated that, due to his age (he was 83 at the time), he wanted to concentrate on the representative functions of the office, and only serve until the royal visit.

A by-election held in the Grafton ward on 21 August 1901 returned John McLeod as the new city councillor.