John Mason Kemper (September 1, 1912 – December 4, 1971) was a military historian and the 11th Headmaster of

Phillips Academy ("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness , address = 180 Main Street , city = Andover , state = Ma ...

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia * Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Ando ...

, serving for 23 years, from 1948 to 1971. Kemper was born at Fort D.A. Russell in Wyoming into a military family. He graduated high school from

Western High School Western High School may refer: Schools in the United States *Western High School (Anaheim, California) – Anaheim, California * Western High School (Illinois) – Barry, Illinois * Western High School (Florida) – Davie, Florida * Western High S ...

in Washington, D.C..(Spring 1972)
John Mason Kemper (obituary)
''Assembly'' (Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy) p. 137 In 1931, he started at the United States Military Academy, and graduated in 1935.(16 October 1948)
Phillips Andover Installs Kemper
'' The New York Times'', p. 17 (paywall) Kemper later returned to West Point to teach history, and obtained a master's degree in history from Columbia University in 1942. He was serving in the historical division of the Army with the rank of lieutenant colonel when he was selected to be headmaster of Andover in 1948--the first chosen from outside the faculty ranks of the school in over 70 years. In the Army, Kemper had led the service's World War II historical program branch; the program today is now the United States Army Center of Military History.(14 March 1945)
Col. John M. Kemper Gets Legion of Merit for Historial Work
'' The Evening Star'', p. B10(22 December 1947)
Found in the Pentagon
'' TIME''Stewart, Lori S. (16 November 2022)
Military intelligence sheds its historical branch
Dvids (U.S. Department of Defense publication)
United States Army Center of Military History, Retrieved 6 December 2022 In 1951, Kemper convinced the Lawrenceville School and

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

to join in what became the

Advanced Placement Advanced Placement (AP) is a program in the United States and Canada created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students. American colleges and universities may grant placement and course ...

program offering college level courses to high school students. Kemper also sought to dispel the view that private schools like Andover were "training grounds for snobs", and worked to diversify the student body.(6 December 1971)
John Kemper, Headmaster to Andover, Is Dead at 59
'' The New York Times'', p. 42 Kemper was featured on the cover of the October 26, 1962 issue of '' TIME''.(26 October 1962)
Education:Well Begun Is Half Done
'' TIME'' In October 1971, at age 59, he announced his resignation, due to illness. He soon after died of cancer in December 1971, and is buried at the Phillips Academy Cemetery.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kemper, John Mason 20th-century American educators Heads of Phillips Academy Andover 1912 births 1971 deaths American military historians United States Military Academy alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni People from Cheyenne, Wyoming People from Andover, Massachusetts