Rufus Crosby Kemper Sr. (1892–1972) was an American banker. He is known for expanding City Center Bank, acquired by his father, from a three-man operation with $600,000 in deposits into

UMB Financial Corporation UMB Financial Corporation is an American financial services holding company founded in 1913 as City Center Bank and based in Kansas City, Missouri. It offers a number of financial services from checking and savings accounts, credit services inclu ...

, with $300 million in deposits, during his tenure from 1919 to September 1967. Kemper is a great-grand-uncle of actress

Ellie Kemper Elizabeth Claire Kemper (born May 2, 1980) is an American actress and comedian. She has been nominated for a Critics' Choice Movie Award, two Critics' Choice Television Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Satellite Awards, and seven Scre ...

(born 1980).

Early life

Rufus Crosby Kemper was born in 1892 in

Valley Falls, Kansas Valley Falls is a city in Jefferson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,092. History Valley Falls was originally called Grasshopper Falls, from the falls in the Grasshopper River (now known as ...

. His father,

William Thornton Kemper Sr. William Thornton Kemper Sr. (November 2, 1867 – January 19, 1938) was an American banker who was the patriarch of the Missouri Kemper family, which developed both Commerce Bancshares and UMB Financial Corporation, United Missouri Bank to becom ...

, bought City Center Bank (which was founded in 1913) during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Career

William first appointed Crosby's younger brother James M. Kemper president of the bank in 1919. However, James resigned a month later and went on to become president of rival

Commerce Bancshares Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH) is a registered bank holding company based in Missouri, United States, with primary hubs in Kansas City and St. Louis. It is the corporate parent of Commerce Bank, which offers a diversified line of finan ...

. Rufus became president of the bank, a position he held until 1959, when his son

R. Crosby Kemper Jr. Rufus Crosby Kemper Jr. (February 22, 1927 – January 2, 2014) was an American banker and philanthropist. Career Kemper was born into an influential banking and railroading family in Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or ...

took over. William remained a director until September 1967.

Philanthropy

Kemper contributed substantially to philanthropies in the

Kansas City Metropolitan Area The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...

and

Kemper Arena The Hy-Vee Arena, previously known as Kemper Arena, is an indoor arena located in Kansas City, Missouri. Prior to conversion to a youth sports and community gymnasium facility, Kemper Arena was previously a 19,500-seat professional sports arena ...

is named for him. Crosby also served as a regent at

Rockhurst University Rockhurst University is a private Jesuit university in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College, Rockhurst University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It enrolled 2,980 students in 2019. History In 1909, Fr. ...

, president of Interstate Securities, and director of Kansas City Title & Trust Company.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kemper, Rufus Crosby Sr 1892 births 1972 deaths People from Jefferson County, Kansas People from the Kansas City metropolitan area University of Missouri alumni American bankers R. Crosby