He was the son of Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Cameron and Luduvina Rosa Da Silva, and migrated to New South Wales in 1822 with his family.
On 7 October 1852 he married Sophia Usher Nail, with whom he had twelve children[1] including Julian Barbara Waugh.
[2] Cameron contested the seat of the Glebe at the 1859 colonial election, supporting free selection and very limited state aid to religion, but narrowly lost to the incumbent, John Campbell.
In 1868 he was elected president of the Balmain Working Men's Association, and was disturbed by growing union militancy.
Cameron was also closely involved with the Anglican Church, and from 1875 was a member of the Royal Society of New South Wales.