Henry Campbell was a member of an affluent Glasgow, Scotland family of wholesale drapers. He served as a Member of Parliament for Stirling from 1868-1908, a member of the Liberal party and a supporter of William Ewart Gladstone. In 1868 he married Sarah Charlotte Bruce, and in 1872 he assumed the name and arms of the Bannerman family.

In 1905 Campbell-Bannerman became Prime Minister, a role that was short-lived. His wife, who had long been in poor health, died in 1906, and he had a heart attack in 1907. Never quite recovering, Campbell-Bannerman resigned from office in April 1908, a few weeks before dying at Downing Street.