Robert Sanders Campbell, Jr.

Robert Sanders Campbell, Jr. (Bob), proud father and grandfather, noted Salt Lake City attorney, avid golfer, accomplished pianist, Anglophile, and self-styled head of the clan Campbell, died on early Saturday, November 29, at his home in Naples, Florida.

Bob was raised in Boise, Idaho, by his father and mother, Robert Sanders Campbell and Edythe Perrault Campbell. He held particular affection for his grandmother, Laura Sanders Campbell Hagen, known within the clan Campbell as “Mama Campbell,” and his uncle William (Bill) Campbell. In college at the University of Idaho, he was a dedicated member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and, as a proud lefty, he soon found a life-long passion for golf at which he excelled as a varsity player for the school, and was an Idaho State Amateur Champion.

At university, Bob met the beloved Karen Hinckley and they married in 1955. Bob’s college education at the University of Idaho culminated with 3 years of law school at the same institution as well as legal studies at the University of Colorado, where he also served in the Judge Advocate General Corps for the U.S. Army. He and Karen then moved to Salt Lake City, where they raised three children, before divorcing in 1993. It was here in the shadows of the mountains where Bob began a distinguished five-decade career as an attorney in Salt Lake City, specializing in business and antitrust law.

Bob was an active member of the community, and a very invested father. Whether it was his involvement in the Ute Football Conference, or as a father-on-the-sidelines during Skyline High School sporting events, and even the honing of a Pinewood Derby car, Bob loved raising a family in the Salt Lake valley. He also was proud of the local arts and music offerings, especially the Utah Symphony. Education and learning were extremely important to him, and it is fair to say he strongly encouraged his children to prioritize curiosity and intellectual growth. We believe it was his own continued hunger for knowledge and understanding that powered him for his long 92 years.

To say that Bob held a deep respect for the American justice system and rule of law would be a meaningful understatement. Early on, Bob led the legal case to expand airline access to Salt Lake City, helping to transform a sleepy intermountain town into a metropolitan hub with international travel connections. He subsequently argued cases before the Utah Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of the United States. His practice was broad, representing large global companies in complex business litigation, and he both formed and affiliated with the best firms in the state. After a short time at the Utah Attorney General’s Office, he began his private practice at Parsons, Behle & Latimer, ultimately founded Watkiss & Campbell and then Campbell, Maack & Sessions, and in his later years affiliated with the firm of VanCott Bagley, Cornwall & McCarthy. Bob always felt he was surrounded by some of the finest legal minds through his colleagues in Salt Lake, and held lifelong friendships with many to this day.

Bob’s legal prowess was often recognized locally and beyond. A fellow in the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers since 1983, Bob subsequently became a member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. In 1992, he was named Utah’s Trial Lawyer of the Year.

Bob’s legal interests offered new opportunities for a burgeoning Anglophilia. Having grown up in the early and dark days of World War II, Bob found in the British prime minister Winston Churchill a model of erudition and eloquence, an exemplary statesman in a world of politicians, and an inspiration for democratic aspirations. His love of all things British expanded exponentially when in his mid-40s, he attended and received a Diploma of Law from Oxford University. He was thereafter invited to be a lecturer on American antitrust law at Oxford, which initiated a half-century relationship, including his election as a Waynflete Fellow of Magdalene College, the first ever in the field of law.

Bob took a special interest in providing an educational legacy for future members of the legal profession, providing support for the University of Utah College of Law that established the Robert S. Campbell Trial Advocacy Classroom. And, his legacy is represented at Oxford University through the Robert S. Campbell Visiting Fellowship at Magdalene College.

In 1995, Bob met and married Charlotte Brown, his love and partner for the remainder of his life. They spent many happy years together in Salt Lake, England, and Naples, Florida, where they retired, found friends, supported the local arts and music community, and used as a home-base for many world travels, a shared passion.

Throughout his life, Bob had a passion for music, starting as a young child through piano lessons, where he played the classics of Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach. Later, he grew to love opera, especially Puccini and Verdi, seemingly at all times of the day and night (often providing a rude awakening for late-sleeping teenagers). This unique talent ultimately landed him in a memorable performance with The Utah Symphony at Symphony Hall in Salt Lake City in 1986, where he flawlessly performed the very challenging Grieg’s Concerto in A minor for Piano and Orchestra, alongside Conductor Joseph Silverstein, and under the mentorship of his great friends, Professors Lowell and Naomi Farr. He continued to play his beloved piano for the rest of his life, entertaining friends and family who visited his home.

Most people never saw the quieter side of Bob. Indeed, that wasn’t his nature. But often late on a Sunday afternoon, we’d find him in his study with a book of his beloved Peanuts characters, enjoying the wit, but mostly the wisdom, of Charles M. Shultz, a legacy passed on to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. We will cherish these easy memories as much as the great accomplishments of his life.

Bob is survived by: his wife, Charlotte Joyce Campbell, still of Naples, FL; his three children and their spouses, Courtney Scott Campbell (Marie), Randall Sanders Campbell (Daska), and Kristin Ann Campbell (Robert Samuelson); his stepson and wife, Dominic and Michelle Brown; his grandchildren Juliette Douglas (Sumner), Jason Campbell (Emily), Scott Campbell, Cassandra Brown (Brady), and Veronika Campbell; and great-grandchildren Ashton and Penelope Douglas;

Joseph, Karna, Callen, Lukas, and Hannah Campbell; and Chloe and Clayton Brown. Bob was predeceased by his first wife Karen Hinckley Campbell, and his sister, Susan Campbell Poulos.

We are extremely grateful to Bob’s care team, especially his admin Paula, during the last months of his life. Bob never once finished a dessert after dinner, stating that his grandmother Laura said, “we must save the last bite for the angels.” These fine people are certainly the angels of his late life; you gave him the peaceful passing he desired and deserved.

A private burial will be held for family members, followed by a memorial service and celebration of life to be announced and held in the late Spring or Summer of 2026.

In lieu of flowers, his family believes Bob would appreciate donations to support The Utah Symphony.