Frank Leslie Campbell was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 5, 1898. He attended Haverford College and the University of Pennsylvania, receiving a degree in chemical engineering from the latter institution. Following graduation, Campbell worked as a chemist in the Japanese Beetle Laboratory in Riverton, New Jersey, then obtained master's and doctoral degrees in entomology from Rutgers University and Harvard University, respectively.

After completing his doctorate, Campbell taught at New York University for a year, then was appointed to a research position in the United States Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Entomology, where he concentrated on the application of toxic substances in controlling insect pest populations. His research led to the development of the "aerosol bomb" used in the control of mosquitoes and other flying insects. From 1936 to 1942, Campbell served on the faculty of Ohio State University and also as a consultant for the Office for Agricultural War Relations. Following World War II, Campbell served five years as editor of The Scientific Monthly, then 11 years as executive secretary of the Biology and Agriculture Division, National Academy of Science - National Research Council. Following retirement, he continued to conduct research at the University of Vienna, Austria and in New South Wales, Australia. For four summers in the 1970s, he was a visiting professor of entomology at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Frank Campbell died in Washington, D. C., on July 13, 1979.