Harris Leon Kempner (1903–1987) was an American businessman and philanthropist from Texas. While leading family business interests in cotton and sugar, he supported

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

and anti-poverty efforts in

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

Early life and education

Kempner was born to

Isaac Herbert Kempner Isaac Herbert Kempner (January 14, 1873 – August 1, 1967) was the founder of the Imperial Sugar Corporation and mayor of Galveston, Texas. Early years Kempner was born in 1873 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father was a Polish Jewish immigrant and h ...

and Henrietta Blum Kempner in Galveston, Texas on October 3, 1903. After attending public schools in Galveston, he completed his secondary education at the Morristown School in

Morristown, New Jersey Morristown () is a town and the county seat of Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

in 1920. Kempner then graduated cum laude from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

. Following his lead, his younger brother, businessman Isaac Herbert Kempner Jr., graduated from both schools. In 1924, Kempner completed his postgraduate studies at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. During his studies, he served as the manager of the Harvard Crimson golf team. He also played on the tennis team.

Cotton and sugar industries

Kempner chaired the family sugar business's Board of Directors of

Imperial Sugar Imperial Sugar is a major U.S. sugar producer and marketer based in Sugar Land, Texas, with sugar refinery operations in California, Georgia, and Louisiana. The company was established in 1843 and has undergone ownership changes multiple ti ...

. His long-term engagement in the H. L. Kempner Company, the family cotton company founded by his grandfather, began when he graduated from college. For several decades, Kempner helped lead activities at the company focused on the export of cotton to worldwide companies; recognizing his efforts, he rose to the position of president. During his career, Kempner held leadership positions in the cotton industry at the national, state, and regional levels. He served as the president and vice president of the American Cotton Shippers Association. Through these roles, Kempner advocated in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

for efforts to free cotton distribution from above-market non-recourse government loans. He also served on the board of directors of the Galveston Cotton Exchange, the Texas Cotton Exchange, and the

New Orleans Cotton Exchange The New Orleans Cotton Exchange was established in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1871 as a centralized forum for the trade of cotton. It operated in New Orleans until closing in 1964. Occupying several buildings over its history, its final locatio ...

. While serving as the Galveston Cotton Exchange's president, Kempner advocated for changes in U.S. tariff policies. He believed that the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act was fueling economic decline.

Civic and humanitarian roles

Kempner contributed to urban renewal and community development in Galveston through multiple roles. He chaired Citizens for Urban Renewal and the Human Rights Commission in Galveston. Through the former role, he advocated for initiatives to improve housing and urban development. Through the latter role, he led efforts to integrate Galveston's businesses. Kempner also chaired the

Galveston County Galveston County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, located along the Gulf Coast adjacent to Galveston Bay. As of the 2020 census, the population was 350,682. The county was founded in 1838. The county seat is the City of Galveston, ...

Cultural Arts Council, and he volunteered with Rosenberg Library and the local chapters of

Boy Scouts of America The Boy Scouts of America (BSA, colloquially the Boy Scouts) is one of the largest scouting organizations and one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with about 1.2 million youth participants. The BSA was founded i ...

and the

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit fundraising affiliates. United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public, prior to 2016. United Way organizations raise funds ...

. In 1981, the People of Vision Dinner honored this work and presented him with an award to recognize his philanthropy.

Military service

In 1942, Kempner moved to Washington, D.C. to work for the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

. He served in the office of the

Undersecretary of the Navy The Under Secretary of the Navy is the second-highest ranking civilian official in the United States Department of the Navy. The Under Secretary, called the "Under" in Pentagon slang, reports to the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV). Before the cre ...

for three years. During this period, Kempner rose in rank from

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

, and the Navy awarded him the

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

Family

Kempner married Ruth Levy Kempner on April 24, 1939, a few months after they dated during

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

. After Galveston elected Ruth Kempner to

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

in 1961, she became the first woman to serve on a governing body of the city. Kempner also served as president of the Family Services Council in Galveston and as a member of the Texas Judicial Council. In 1947, she chaired the Disaster Relief Committee of the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

during the Texas City Disaster, the largest industrial disaster in American history.

Honors and legacy

In 1976, the Mental Health Association in Galveston honored Kempner for his spirit of giving. The Boys Club of Galveston awarded Kemper their Man of the Year award in 1986. In 1982, the

University of Texas Medical Branch The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is a public academic health science center in Galveston, Texas. It is part of the University of Texas System. UTMB includes the oldest medical school in Texas, and has about 11,000 employees. In Febr ...

(UTMB) at Galveston established the H. L. Kemper Award in honor of Kempner's support for the hospital. He was also the first recipient of the award. The Kempner Award honors outstanding contributions to support the recruitment and retention of medical students from minority racial/ethnic backgrounds. UTMB annually presented the award at the Harris L. Kempner Award Banquet honoring graduating seniors from minority racial/ethnic backgrounds.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kempner, Harris L. Businesspeople from Texas People from Galveston, Texas Harvard University alumni University of Paris alumni Morristown-Beard School alumni 1903 births 1987 deaths 20th-century American philanthropists 20th-century American businesspeople Jews from Texas American people of Polish-Jewish descent American people of German-Jewish descent