Uploaded February 2019 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Robert Campbell grew up in Passaic, New Jersey, before attending Fordham University. In 1955, Campbell moved to New Brunswick when he got a job at Johnson & Johnson. After three years of service in the Air Force and earning his business degree at Rutgers, Campbell returned to Johnson & Johnson, where he eventually became the chief financial officer and vice chairman of the board. In the interview, Campbell discusses Johnson & Johnson’s keeping its headquarters in New Brunswick and the subsequent building of the Route 18 extension. During the 1970s, Campbell worked to secure money for redevelopment initiatives, working closely with John Heldrich. Specifically, he relates the story of working out the financing for 300 George Street. When Johnson & Johnson hired the architect I.M. Pei to design its corporate campus, Pei identified three major cornerstones of development, Johnson & Johnson, the Hyatt Hotel and the Cultural Center area. Campbell goes on to explain how the city and Johnson & Johnson financed the Hyatt Hotel, which was crucial in developing the area across Albany Street. A former chairman of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Campbell notes the importance of the hospitals and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in promoting community growth. Other issues discussed are the Hiram Market, Rutgers, the city government, population growth and housing.
The Rutgers Oral History Archives is part of the Department of History at Rutgers University. Learn more at https://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/new-brunswick-redevelopment-oral-histories
Robert Campbell grew up in Passaic, New Jersey, before attending Fordham University. In 1955, Campbell moved to New Brunswick when he got a job at Johnson & Johnson. After three years of service in the Air Force and earning his business degree at Rutgers, Campbell returned to Johnson & Johnson, where he eventually became the chief financial officer and vice chairman of the board. In the interview, Campbell discusses Johnson & Johnson’s keeping its headquarters in New Brunswick and the subsequent building of the Route 18 extension. During the 1970s, Campbell worked to secure money for redevelopment initiatives, working closely with John Heldrich. Specifically, he relates the story of working out the financing for 300 George Street. When Johnson & Johnson hired the architect I.M. Pei to design its corporate campus, Pei identified three major cornerstones of development, Johnson & Johnson, the Hyatt Hotel and the Cultural Center area. Campbell goes on to explain how the city and Johnson & Johnson financed the Hyatt Hotel, which was crucial in developing the area across Albany Street. A former chairman of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Campbell notes the importance of the hospitals and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in promoting community growth. Other issues discussed are the Hiram Market, Rutgers, the city government, population growth and housing.
The Rutgers Oral History Archives is part of the Department of History at Rutgers University. Learn more at https://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/new-brunswick-redevelopment-oral-histories
