Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 06.djvu/226

 KEMPER

KEMPFF

Kemper. He was graduated at Columbia college in 1809, studied tlieology under Bishop Hobart, and was made fdeacon, March 10, 1811, and or- dained priest, Jan. 23, 1814, in Christ church, Philadelphia, Pa., by Bishop White. He was assistant to Bishop White, who held the rectorship of the united parishes of Christ church, St. James's, and St. Pe- ter's, Philadelphia, Pa., 1811-31; dio- cesan secretary, 18- 11-18, and in 1819-20 was engaged in se- curing funds for the General Theological seminary. He became rector of St. Paul's church, Norwalk, Conn., in 1831, and four years later was elected missionary bishop for Missouri and Indiana. He was consecrated in St. Peter's church, Philadelphia, Pa., Sept. 25, 1835, by Bishops White, Moore, Chase, Henry U. Onderdonk, Benjamin T. Onderdonk, Smith and Doane. In addition to his own extensive diocese his care of the churches extended over the North- western territory, afterward embraced by Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Nebraska and Kansas, which was fast becoming inhabited. His visita- tions were made under great difficulties and only the most primitive means of travel were at his command. He also made extensive apostolic visitations in Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Florida, 1837-38. He de- clined the bishopric of Maryland in 1838, and of Wisconsin on the erection of that diocese in 1847. In 1854 he was unanimously elected bishop of Wisconsin and accepted on condition that he should still remain missionary bishop of Missoviri and Indiana, but in 1859, on account of his in- creasing years and infirmities, the missionary duties were surrendered. He was active in establishing Nashotah House, Nashotah, Wis. a theological seminary which passed under the control of the bishops of Milwaukee, Missouri, Quincy, Springfield and Salt Lake. Bishop Kemper was never out of his own country. The statement tliat he attended the Lambeth conference in Lon- don in 1868 is contradicted by his grandson, the Rev. William Poyntell Kemper, of Lakeview, Wash., who cites as authority " An Apostle of the Western Church," by Greenough White, M.A., p. 213. He received the degree of D.D. from Colum- bia in 1829, and from Oxford, England, in 1868, and LL.D. from the University of Cambridge in 1868. He died at Delafield, Wis., May 24, 1870.

KEMPER, James Lawson, governor of Vir- ginia, was born in Madison county, Va., June 11,

1823; son of William and (Allison)

Kemper; and a descendant of John Kemper, who arrived in Virginia in 1714, and was a member of one of the twelve families from Oldenburg who receiv- ed grants from Gov. Alex- ander Spotswood to lands at Germania, Va.; and of John Jasper Stadler, a colonel of engineers on General Wash- ington's staff. He WPM edu- cated in his native county and was graduated from Washington college, Lexington, Va., in 1842, and then studied law under George W. Summers, of Charlestown, Va. He was commissioned captain in the volun- teer army by President Polk in 1847, and served during the Mexican war. He was a representa- tive in the Virginia legislature for ten years, was speaker of the house two years, and chairman of the committee on military affairs. He was mar- ried, July 4, 1853, to Miss C. Conway, daughter of Belfield and Crimora (Jones) Cave, of Virginia. He was appointed colonel of the 7th Virginia reg- iment in May, 1861; served at the battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861; at the battle of Fair Oaks, May 31 to June 1, 1862, and was commissioned brigadier-general at Fair Oaks. He fouglit in the battle of Gaines's Mill, June 28, 1862; Frayser's Farm, June 30, 1862; Groveton, Aug. 29, 'l862; South Mountain, Sept. 14, 1862; Antietam, Sept. 16 and 17, 1862; Fredericksburg, Va., Dec. 13, 1862, and at the battle of Gettysburg, Pa., July 1, 2 and 3, 1863, where he was wounded. On recov- ering from his injury he was detailed to command the troops in and about Richmond, Va., and was promoted major-general, March 1, 1864. On the evacuation of Richmond, April 2, 1865, he return- ed to the practice of law in Madison county, Va. He was presidential elector-at-large on the Liberal Republican ticket in 1872. and was elected gov- ernor of Virginia by the Democratic party, serv- ing, 1874-78, and at the close of his term engaged in farming in Orange county, Va. He published a volume of messages to the legislature (1876). He died in Orange county, Va., April 7, 1895.

KEMPFF, Louis, naval officer, was born near Belleville, 111., Oct. 11, 1841; son of Frederick and Henrietta Kempff, natives of GermanJ^ He was appointed to the U.S. Naval academy from Illi- nois, Se^it. 25, 1857, and was ordered into active service in April, 1861, serving on the Vandalia, which sailed from New York in June, 1861, to join in the blockade of Charleston, and there captured and took to New York the schooner Henry Middle- ton, of Charleston. He joined the Vandalia at Hampton Roads, and was appointed acting mas-