Crompton was born in Birmingham, England, in 1811, and received his education at an academy in Bristol run by Lant Carpenter.
He emigrated from England on the Lord William Bentinck and arrived in New Plymouth on 6 January 1852, and took land in nearby Omata.
Later in 1852, he was the Taranaki Herald's first editor, but resigned after nine editions had been printed over a disagreement with the owners of the newspaper.
[4] His ongoing illness prevented him from declaring his intentions prior to the 1855 election and when it appeared that the Omata electorate would not have a representative, Alfred William East stepped forward and became a candidate.
[10] After the Second Taranaki War was over, Crompton opened an academy in New Plymouth and ran it until 1884, when he retired for health reasons.