[1][2][3][4] Stephen Joseph Campbell was born to Tiburtio A. Campbell and his wife, Maria dos Santos, in Santa Rosa, British Guiana,[5] on 26 December 1897.
Both of Campbell's parents died when he was young, and he was subsequently raised by his grandmother.
He studied at Santa Rosa Mission School, and subsequently worked for many years as a teacher and as a catechist in various regions of Guyana.
[6][7] On 10 September 1957, Campbell became the first Amerindian member of Parliament in Guyanese history, when he was elected onto the Legislative Council of British Guiana.
[9] Campbell went to Toronto, Canada for medical treatment, and died there on 12 May 1966,[5] just two weeks before Guyana won independence from Great Britain.