Camp was born in Colfax, Washington, to Ortho O. Camp, a small businessman, and Helen Camp, a counselor. He has served as a sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He and his wife, librarian Emily Ellen Morse married October 1, 1966. They have two children: Christopher, Alexander.[3]
Camp graduated with both a bachelor's degree (1963–66) and a master's degree in International Affairs (1966–67) from George Washington University and completed a doctorate degree in Comparative Politics and History at the University of Arizona (1967–70).[2] He tracks his interest in Mexican topics back to his years growing up among Mexican immigrants in Orange, a small citrus farming community outside Los Angeles.[7]
In September, 2017, he received the Order of the Aztec Eagle Medal, the highest award the Mexican government can award a foreigner, for his contributions to Mexicans and Mexico.
In 2017, he became a Global Scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Smithsonian Institution.
The Role of Economists in Policy Making: A Comparative Study of Mexico and the United States (University of Arizona Press, 1977)
Mexico's Leaders, Their Education and Recruitment (University of Arizona Press, 1980).
The Making of a Government: The Socialization of Political Leaders in Post-Revolutionary Mexico (University of Arizona Press, 1984). Winner of the "Choice Outstanding Academic Book, 1985".[2]
Intellectuals and the State in Twentieth Century Mexico (University of Texas Press, 1985). Winner of the "Choice Outstanding Academic Book, 1986".[2]
Mexico's Political Stability, the Next Five Years (Editor, Westview Press, 1986).
Mexican Political Biographies, 1884-1935 (University of Texas Press, 1991).
Generals in the Palacio, the Military in Modern Mexico (Oxford University Press, 1992).
Who's Who in Mexico Today (Westview Press, 1993). Winner of the "Choice Outstanding Reference Book, 1988".[2]
Politics in Mexico, the Democratic Consolidation (Oxford University Press, 2007). Winner of the "Choice Outstanding Academic Book, 1993"[2] and recommended in the Council on Foreign Relations Reading List on Mexican Politics blog by Shannon O'Neil, August 18, 2009.
The Successor, A Political Thriller (University of New Mexico Press, 1993).
Mexican Political Biographies, 1935-1993 (University of Texas Press, 1995). Winner of the "American Reference Book Annual Outstanding Reference Book" and "Choice Outstanding Academic Book".[2]
Political Recruitment Across Two Centuries, Mexico, 1884-1999 (University of Texas Press, 1995).
Crossing Swords, Politics and Religion in Mexico (Oxford University Press, 1997).