He was the eldest son of Sir Guy Campbell, 1st Baronet and the former Pamela FitzGerald.
[2] His paternal grandparents were Lieutenant-General Colin Campbell and his wife Mary Johnson.
[2] His mother was the only daughter of Lord Edward FitzGerald (fifth son of the Duke of Leinster) and Pamela Syms.
She was a daughter of Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalfe, 4th Baronet and Felicite Anne Browne.
Before her death during childbirth, they were the parents of thirteen children, of which there were two sets of twins, including:[5] Sir Edward died on 23 November 1882.