Wilfred Campbell

Born in Berlin, Ontario, in 1861, William Wilfred Campbell became one of the best-known Canadian poets of his era. He studied at the University of Toronto and later prepared for the ministry, serving for a time as an Anglican clergyman before leaving church work.

After settling in Ottawa, he worked as a federal civil servant while continuing to publish poetry and prose. His writing often returned to the natural world, spirituality, and the changing character of Canadian life, helping him become part of the group later known as the Confederation poets.

Campbell died in 1918. He is remembered as an important literary figure from a formative period in Canadian writing, with a body of work that helped shape the country’s early poetic identity.