Images of the Month March, 2012

County Executive Howard W. Campen

Images are from the Howard W. Campen Collection

http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt5489r9pm/

These images can be viewed at the Archives.

Howard Campen served as County

Executive for Santa Clara County

from 1957 until 1976, overseeing a

period of tremendous change and

development in the county. Born in

San Jose in 1914, Campen gradu-

ated from Stanford University in

1937 and received his law degree

from Stanford University School of

Law in 1940. After service in the

Navy during World War II,

Campen began work for the county

in the Santa Clara County District

Attorney's Office in 1946. In 1948,

he was appointed to the newly cre-

ated position of County Counsel, in

which he remained until 1955,

when he resigned to enter private

law practice. In 1957, the county

selected him as County Executive,

a position he retained until his re-

tirement in 1976. During his tenure,

the county underwent significant

development, with county govern-

ment undertaking major capital in-

vestments, especially in the county

freeway system. Campen withdrew

from county affairs after his retire-

ment. He died in 2005.

Left: Howard Campen being sworn

in as County Executive, 1957.

Left: Front and back of Campen’s employee ID card.

Above: Campen’s business card.

Front and back of a guide for the Civic

Center, 1961.

Campen speaking

at the ground

breaking for the

new Civic Center,

September 23,

1957.

Letters to Campen from Congressman Don Edwards

and Hewlett-Packard co-founder David Packard.

Letters to Campen from governors Ronald Reagan and Pat Brown.

Left: Campen in his office, circa 1976.

Above: Campen at his retirement party, March 21,

1976.