Jack Kemp | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Official portrait,c. 1989–1993 | |||||||||||||||
| 9thUnited States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development | |||||||||||||||
| In office February 13, 1989 – January 20, 1993 | |||||||||||||||
| President | George H. W. Bush | ||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Alfred A. DelliBovi Frank Keating | ||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Samuel Pierce | ||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Henry Cisneros | ||||||||||||||
| Chair of the House Republican Conference | |||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 1981 – June 4, 1987 | |||||||||||||||
| Leader | Robert H. Michel | ||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Samuel L. Devine | ||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Dick Cheney | ||||||||||||||
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromNew York | |||||||||||||||
| In office January 3, 1971 – January 3, 1989 | |||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Richard D. McCarthy | ||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Bill Paxon | ||||||||||||||
| Constituency | 39th district (1971–1973) 38th district (1973–1983) 31st district (1983–1989) | ||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||
| Born | Jack French Kemp (1935-07-13)July 13, 1935 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Died | May 2, 2009(2009-05-02) (aged 73) Bethesda, Maryland, U.S | ||||||||||||||
| Political party | Republican | ||||||||||||||
| Spouse | |||||||||||||||
| Children | 4, includingJeff andJimmy | ||||||||||||||
| Education | Occidental College (BA) | ||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | United States | ||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | United States Army | ||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1958–1962 | ||||||||||||||
| Rank | Private | ||||||||||||||
| Unit | U.S. Army Reserve | ||||||||||||||
| Football career | |||||||||||||||
.jpg) Kemp in 1961 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 18, 15 | |||||||||||||||
| Position | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Fairfax (Los Angeles, California) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Occidental | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1957: 17th round, 203rd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career AFL/NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Jack French Kemp (July 13, 1935 – May 2, 2009) was an American politician, professionalfootball player, andU.S. Army veteran who served as the ninthU.S. secretary of housing and urban development in the administration of PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993. A member of theRepublican Party fromNew York, he previously served nine terms in theU.S. House of Representatives from 1971 to 1989. He was the Republican Party'svice presidential nominee in the1996 election, as the running mate ofBob Dole; they lost to incumbent presidentBill Clinton and Vice PresidentAl Gore. Kemp had previously contended for the presidential nomination in the1988 Republican primaries.
Before entering politics, Kemp briefly played in theNational Football League (NFL) and theCanadian Football League (CFL), but became a star in theAmerican Football League (AFL). He served as acaptain of both theLos Angeles / San Diego Chargers and theBuffalo Bills, earning theAFL Most Valuable Player award in 1965 after leading the Bills to a second consecutive championship. He played in the AFL for all 10 years of its existence, appeared in itsAll-Star game seven times, played in its championship game five times, and set many of the league's career passing records. Kemp also co-founded theAFL Players Association, for which he served five terms as president. During his early football career, he served in theUnited States Army Reserve.
As aneconomic conservative, Kemp advocated low taxes andsupply-side policies during his political career. His positions spanned the social spectrum, ranging from his conservative opposition to abortion to his more libertarian stances advocatingimmigration reform. As a proponent of bothChicago school and supply-side economics, he is notable as an influence uponRonald Reagan's political agenda and the architect of theEconomic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, which is known as the Kemp–Roth tax cut.
After his days in political office, Kemp remained active as a political advocate and commentator; he served on corporate and nonprofit organization boards. He also authored, co-authored, and edited several books. He promoted American football and advocated for retired professional football players. Kemp was posthumously awarded thePresidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 by PresidentBarack Obama.[1]
Born[2] and raised inLos Angeles,[3] Kemp was the third of four sons of Frances Elizabeth (née Pope) and Paul Robert Kemp Sr.[4][5][6] Paul turned his motorcyclemessenger service into a trucking company that grew from one to 14 trucks.[7][8] Frances was a social worker and Spanish teacher.[4][8] Kemp grew up in the heavily JewishWilshire district ofWest Los Angeles,[5][9] but his tight-knit middle-class family attended theChurch of Christ, Scientist.[4][5] In his youth, sports consumed Kemp, who once chose theforward pass as the subject of a school essay on important inventions, although his mother attempted to broaden his horizons with piano lessons and trips to theHollywood Bowl.[4]
Kemp attendedMelrose Avenue'sFairfax High School,[3] which was, at the time, known for its high concentration of both Jewish students and children of celebrities. Over 95% of Kemp's classmates were Jewish, and he later became a supporter of Jewish causes.[3] His classmates included musicianHerb Alpert, baseball pitcherLarry Sherry, and academicJudith A. Reisman.[10][11] During his years in high school, Kemp worked with his brothers at his father's trucking company in downtown Los Angeles. In his spare time, he was a rigorous reader, preferring history and philosophy books.[3]
After graduating from high school in 1953,[12] he attendedOccidental College, a founding member of theNCAADivision IIISouthern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.[13] Kemp selected Occidental because its football team used professionalformations and plays, which he hoped would help him to become a professional quarterback.[5] At 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) and 175 pounds (79 kg), he considered himself too small to play for theUSC Trojans orUCLA Bruins, the majorSouthern Californiacollege football programs.[14]
At Occidental, Kemp was a record-settingjavelin hurler and played several positions on the football team: quarterback,defensive back,place kicker, andpunter.[14] Although he wasnear-sighted, Kemp was tenacious on the field.[14] During his years as starting quarterback, the1955 and 1956 Occidental teams posted 6–2 and 3–6 records. Kemp was named a LittleAll-America player one year in which he threw for over 1,100 yards.[14] That year, he led the nation's small colleges in passing.[15] He and close friendJim Mora, who later became an NFLhead coach, were members of theAlpha Tau Omega fraternity.[14] Another teammate in college wasRon Botchan.[16] Kemp declined to become involved in student government.[14] After graduating from Occidental with a degree inphysical education, he pursued postgraduate studies in economics atLong Beach State University andCalifornia Western University in San Diego, and served in the military from 1958 to 1962.[5][14]
Kemp graduated from Occidental in 1957 and married Joanne Main, his college sweetheart,[8] after she graduated from Occidental in 1958.[5] Main had grown up inFillmore, California, and attendedFillmore High School inVentura County.[17] Kemp's Biblical Literature professor, Keith Beebe, presided over the wedding.[14] The Kemps had two sons. Both were professional football quarterbacks:Jeff Kemp (born in 1959) played in the NFL from 1981 to 1991,[18] andJimmy Kemp (born in 1971) played in the CFL from 1994 to 2002. Significantly for a man with his demanding schedule, Jack never missed one of their games as children or in college.[19] They also had two daughters: Jennifer Kemp Andrews (born in 1961) and Judith Kemp (born in 1963).[20]
Joanne Kemp once suffered amiscarriage, which Kemp later said made him re-evaluate the sanctity of human life and affirmed his opposition to abortion.[21]
Following his wedding, Kemp converted to his wife'sPresbyterian faith.[5][22] He identified as a born-again Christian.[23][24]
Kemp was a 33rd degree Freemason in the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction.[25][26]
After being selected by theDetroit Lions in the 17th round of the1957 NFL draft, Kemp was cut from the team before the1957 NFL season began.[14][27] He spent 1957 with thePittsburgh Steelers and1958 on thetaxi squads of theSan Francisco 49ers andNew York Giants. The Giants hosted theNFL championship game, known as the "Greatest Game Ever Played" and the firstovertime NFL playoff game,[28][29][30] but, as a third-string quarterback member of the taxi squad, Kemp did not take the field.[4]
In 1958, Kemp joined the United States Army Reserve and he served a year on active duty as aprivate to complete his initial training.[5] He was a member of the San Diego–based 977th Transportation Company from 1958 to 1962.[31][32] When his unit was activated for theBerlin Crisis of 1961, Kemp received a medical exemption for his chronically separated left shoulder.[31] The injury led to his discharge from the Reserve in July 1962.[32]
In 1959, Kemp played one game for theCalgary Stampeders of theCanadian Football League, which made him ineligible for the NFL, in 1959. According to his older brother Tom, his parents drove him from California toCalgary, Alberta, only to see him cut.[4] By this time, Kemp had been cut from five professional teams (Lions, Steelers, Giants, 49ers, and Stampeders)[14] and his family encouraged him to get on with his life.[4] On February 9 and 11, 1960, the newly formedAFL agreed to "no tampering" policies with the NFL and CFL respectively, protecting each league's players. Players like Kemp, with modest NFL experience, were often signed by the AFL at the time.[33] Kemp signed as afree agent with the AFL'sLos Angeles Chargers.
In1960, Kemp led the Chargers to a Western Division Championship with a 10–4 record.[34] He finished second in the league toFrank Tripucka inpassing attempts, completions, and yards (making him and Tripucka the league's first 3,000-yard passers),[35] led the AFL in yards per completion and timessacked, and finished one rushing touchdown short of the league lead.[36] Under Kemp, the Chargers' offense averaged 46 points over its last four games and scored more than 41 points in five of its last nine games.[37] In theAFL championship game, he led the team tofield goals on its first two possessions, but after theHouston Oilers posted atouchdown in the second quarter for a 7–6 lead, the Chargers never recovered.[38]
In1961,San Diego Union editorJack Murphy convincedBarron Hilton to move the Chargers from Los Angeles toSan Diego.[39] Kemp led the relocated team to a 12–2 record and a repeat Western Division Championship.[40] He again finished second in passing yards (this time toGeorge Blanda).[41] The Chargers earned anAFL championship game rematch against theOilers. However, this time the Chargers were unable to score until a fourth-quarter field goal in a 10–3 loss.[40][42]
In1962, Kemp broke his middle finger when he struck a helmet against theNew York Titans in the second game of the season and was unable to play. He persuaded his doctors to set his broken finger around a football, so that his grip would not be affected once the finger healed. Chargers coachSid Gillman put Kemp onwaivers to try to "hide" him.[43]Buffalo Bills coachLou Saban noticed that Kemp was available and claimed him for a $100 waiver fee on September 25, 1962,[44] in what sportswriter Randy Schultz has called one of the biggest bargains in professional football history.[27] TheDallas Texans andDenver Broncos also attempted to claim Kemp, but he was awarded to Buffalo by AFL commissionerJoe Foss.[45]
According toBilly Shaw, Kemp's acquisition solved the Bills' quarterback problem,[27] but Kemp was not excited about coming to Buffalo. According toVan Miller, "Jack's a skier, and he wanted to go to Denver and play for the Broncos. He hated the thought of coming to Buffalo."[46] In Buffalo, he would become known for his love of reading a broad range of books including those byHenry Thoreau, which led to chidings from Saban.[3]
Injuries, including the broken finger,[44] kept Kemp from playing for most of 1962. That season, Kemp received amilitary draft notice for service in theVietnam War but was granted a draftwaiver because of a knee problem. The injuries healed, and Kemp debuted for Buffalo on November 18, 1962, by directing the only touchdown drive in a 10–6 win over theOakland Raiders.[44] His start on December 8 versus New York (which he won 20-3), combined with his start against New York for San Diego (which he won 40-14) months earlier, made Kemp the first quarterback to ever start against the same team twice while playing for two different teams. As of 2025, six other quarterbacks have joined Kemp in this distinction, but only Kemp was successful in winning both starts.[47] He played only four games for Buffalo in 1962, but made theAFL All-Star team.[44] The Bills won three of their last four games to finish 7–6–1.[48]
On December 14, 1962, the Bills outbid theGreen Bay Packers forNotre Dame quarterbackDaryle Lamonica.[44] In1963, a four-seasonstarting quarterback battle began that continued until Lamonica left for the Raiders. Lamonica felt he "learned a lot from Jack about quarterbacking. And I truly believe that we were a great one-two punch at the position for the Bills."[27] In 1963, Kemp led the Bills from a slow start to a tie for the AFL Eastern Division lead with a 7–6–1 record.[49] Kemp again placed second in passing attempts, completions, and yards, and he also finished second to teammateCookie Gilchrist in rushing touchdowns.[50] The Bills played theBoston Patriots in anEastern Division playoff game to determine the division title on December 28, in 10 °F (−12 °C) weather. Buffalo replaced Kemp with Lamonica after falling behind 16–0, but still lost 26–8.[51]
Kemp was said to be the "clubhouse lawyer" for the Bills because of his role in mediating conflicts.[27] In1964, he managed personalities such as Gilchrist, who walked off the field when plays were not being called for him, and Saban, whom he kept from cutting Gilchrist the following week.[27] He also managed the politics of his quarterback battle with Lamonica, who engineered four winning touchdown drives in the Bills' first seven games.[52] Kemp was the first and onlyprofessional football player to pass for three touchdowns in the first quarter of a season-opening game, against theKansas City Chiefs in1964, until the record was tied but not broken, 47 years later in2011 byAaron Rodgers.[53][54] The 1964 team won its first nine games and went 12–2 for the regular season, winning the Eastern Division with a final game victory over the Patriots atFenway Park. Kemp led the league in yards per attempt and finished one rushing touchdown short of the league lead, which was shared by Gilchrist andSid Blanks.[55] In the AFL championship game, he scored the final touchdown with just over nine minutes left in a 20–7 victory.[56] Not long after, Kemp played a key role in an off the field decision. Kemp was part of theAll-Star Game played three weeks after the Championship Game alongside teammates such asCookie Gilchrist andErnie Warlick, with the game scheduled to be played inNew Orleans, Louisiana. However, Gilchrist led a movement of African American players wanting to boycott the game due to experiencing discrimination by cab drivers and others during their time in New Orleans; Kemp saw this firsthand when Gilchrist, and Warlick were not allowed to share a cab with him. Kemp attended a boycott meeting and alongsideRon Mix convinced the white players to go with the idea of a boycott. One day after the players left the city, AFL CommissionerJoe Foss moved the game toHouston, Texas.[57]
According to Lamonica, the1965 team had a new emphasis: "In '64 we had depended a lot on Gilchrist and our running attack to carry us. . .But that all changed in '65. The Bills had traded Gilchrist in the off season to theDenver Broncos. So we went to a pass-oriented game more that season than we ever had before. We not only went to our receivers, but we threw a lot to ourrunning backs. And I really think it brought out the best in Jack that year."[27] In1965, the Bills finished with a 10–3–1 record.[58] Kemp finished the season second in the league in pass completions.[59] In the 1965 AFL Championship Game, Buffalo defeated the Chargers 23–0; for Kemp, the victory was special because it came against his former team.[60] Kemp's role in leading the Bills to a repeat championship without Gilchrist and with star receiverElbert Dubenion playing only three games earned him a share of the AFL MVP awards that he split with former Charger teammate,Paul Lowe.[55][61] Kemp also won theAssociated Press award and the Championship Game Most Valuable Player award.[62][63]
Following the championship game, Saban resigned to coach theUniversity of Maryland anddefensive coordinatorJoe Collier was promoted to head coach for the1966 season.[64] Kemp led the Bills to their third consecutive division title with a 9–4–1 record. However, in theAFL championship game, which was played for the right to represent the AFL inSuper Bowl I, the Bills lost to theKansas City Chiefs 31–7.[65] Kemp was named an AFL All-Star for the sixth consecutive year.[a][66] The 1967 Bills endured a 4–101967 AFL season, in which Kemp was not named to the All-Star game for the first time in his AFL career.[66][67]
On August 23, 1968, the Bills suffered ablowout preseason loss to theHouston Oilers. On August 26, Collier put the Bills through a 40-play scrimmage. During the scrimmage,Ron McDole fell on Kemp's right knee and injured it, forcing Kemp to sit out the entire1968 season.[68] The Bills went 1–12–1 without Kemp.[69]
Despite Kemp's return from injury and the arrival of running backO. J. Simpson, the Bills only compiled a 4–10 record during the1969 season under new coachJohn Rauch.[70] Kemp was named an AFL All-Star in1969 for the seventh time in the league's 10 years.[66] He advocated recognition of the league, and in its last year, 1969, lobbiedPete Rozelle to have AFL teams wear anAFL patch to honor it. In 1969, theErie County Republican Party approached him about running for theUnited States Congress.[27] After the January 17, 1970, AFL All-Star game, Kemp returned home and talked to his wife before deciding to enter politics.[71] Kemp said, "I had a four-year no-cut contract with the Bills at the time. ... I figured that if I lost I could always come back and play. But the fans had their say and I was elected to Congress."[27]
Kemp led Buffalo to the AFL playoffs four straight years (1963–1966), three consecutive Eastern Division titles (1964–1966) and two straight AFL Championships (1964–1965).[9] He led the league in career passes attempted, completions, and yards gained passing.[35] He played in five of the AFL's 10 Championship Games, and holds the same career records (passing attempts, completions, and yardage) for championships. He is second in many other championship game categories, including career and single-gamepasser rating.[35] Heranks sixth in rushing touchdowns by an NFL or AFL quarterback with 40; at the time of his retirement, he was second only toOtto Graham at 44.[72] ASporting NewsAll-League selection at quarterback in 1960 and 1965, and the AFL MVP in 1965. He was the only AFL quarterback to be listed as a starter all 10 years of the league's existence and one of only 20 players to serve all 10 of those years. His number 15 was retired by the Bills in 1984.[73] In 2012, theProfessional Football Researchers Association named Kemp to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2012.[74]
However, despite his success and important AFL records, he is most prominently listed in the NFL record book for less flattering accomplishments, including his place as a former record holder for mostquarterback sacks in a game.[75][76] Despite Kemp's many records,Joe Namath andLen Dawson were selected as the quarterbacks for the All-time AFL team.[35] Kemp is a member of theGreater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame and the Buffalo Bills' Wall of Fame.
Kemp co-founded the AFL Players Association withTom Addison of theBoston Patriots, and was elected its president five times.[77] His founding of and involvement in the players' union contributed to his frequent siding with theDemocrats on labor issues later in his career.[3]
The NCAA's highest honor, theTheodore Roosevelt Award,[78] was presented to Kemp in 1992,[79] and he was named one of the association's 100 most influential student-athletes in 2006.[80]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won theAFL Championship Game | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1957 | PIT | 4 | 0 | — | 8 | 18 | 44.4 | 88 | 4.9 | 0 | 2 | 19.9 | 3 | -1 | -0.3 | 0 |
| 1960 | LAC | 14 | 12 | 9–3 | 211 | 406 | 52.0 | 3,018 | 7.4 | 20 | 25 | 67.1 | 54 | 238 | 4.4 | 8 |
| 1961 | SD | 14 | 14 | 12–2 | 165 | 364 | 45.3 | 2,686 | 7.4 | 15 | 22 | 59.2 | 43 | 105 | 2.4 | 6 |
| 1962 | SD /BUF | 6 | 5 | 3–2 | 64 | 139 | 46.0 | 928 | 6.7 | 5 | 6 | 62.3 | 20 | 84 | 4.2 | 2 |
| 1963 | BUF | 14 | 12 | 5–6–1 | 193 | 384 | 50.3 | 2,910 | 7.6 | 13 | 20 | 65.1 | 50 | 239 | 4.8 | 8 |
| 1964 | BUF | 14 | 13 | 11–2 | 119 | 269 | 44.2 | 2,285 | 8.5 | 13 | 26 | 50.9 | 37 | 124 | 3.4 | 5 |
| 1965 | BUF | 14 | 13 | 9–3–1 | 179 | 391 | 45.8 | 2,368 | 6.1 | 10 | 18 | 54.8 | 36 | 49 | 1.4 | 4 |
| 1966 | BUF | 14 | 14 | 9–4–1 | 166 | 389 | 42.7 | 2,451 | 6.3 | 11 | 16 | 56.2 | 40 | 130 | 3.3 | 5 |
| 1967 | BUF | 14 | 11 | 3–8 | 161 | 369 | 43.6 | 2,503 | 6.8 | 14 | 26 | 50.0 | 36 | 58 | 1.6 | 2 |
| 1969 | BUF | 14 | 11 | 4–7 | 170 | 344 | 49.4 | 1,981 | 5.8 | 13 | 22 | 53.2 | 37 | 124 | 3.4 | 0 |
| Career | 122 | 105 | 65–37–3 | 1,436 | 3,073 | 46.7 | 21,218 | 6.9 | 114 | 183 | 57.3 | 356 | 1,150 | 3.2 | 40 | |
| Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 1960 | LAC | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 21 | 41 | 51.2 | 171 | 4.2 | 0 | 2 | 41.8 | 3 | 19 | 6.3 | 0 |
| 1961 | SD | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 17 | 32 | 53.1 | 226 | 7.1 | 0 | 4 | 36.2 | 4 | 5 | 1.3 | 0 |
| 1963 | BUF | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 10 | 21 | 47.6 | 133 | 6.3 | 0 | 1 | 48.3 | 2 | -4 | -2.0 | 0 |
| 1964 | BUF | 1 | 1 | 1–0 | 10 | 20 | 50.0 | 188 | 9.4 | 0 | 0 | 82.9 | 5 | 16 | 3.2 | 1 |
| 1965 | BUF | 1 | 1 | 1–0 | 8 | 19 | 42.1 | 155 | 8.2 | 1 | 1 | 66.8 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 1966 | BUF | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 12 | 27 | 44.4 | 253 | 9.4 | 1 | 2 | 59.6 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 0 |
| Career | 6 | 6 | 2–4 | 78 | 160 | 48.8 | 1,126 | 7.0 | 2 | 10 | 50.2 | 15 | 39 | 2.6 | 1 | |
"Pro football gave me a good perspective. When I entered the political arena, I had already been booed, cheered, cut, sold, traded, and hung ineffigy." |
| — Jack Kemp[81] |
Kemp's political career began long before his 1970 campaign. In 1960 and 1961, Kemp was an editorial assistant toSan Diego Union editor and futureRichard NixonaideHerb Klein.[3] Subsequently, Kemp became a volunteer in bothBarry Goldwater's1964 presidential campaign andRonald Reagan's successful 1966California gubernatorial campaign. In the 1967 football off-season, Kemp worked on Reagan's staff inSacramento. In 1969, he was special assistant to theRepublican National Committee chairman.[5]
Kemp was a voracious reader, and his political beliefs were founded in early readings of Goldwater'sThe Conscience of a Conservative,Ayn Rand's novels, andFriedrich von Hayek'sThe Constitution of Liberty.[82] He also brought from his football career a belief in racial equality which came from playing football with black teammates. As Kemp said, "I wasn't there withRosa Parks orDr. King orJohn Lewis. But I am here now, and I am going to yell from the rooftops about what we need to do."[5] Kemp's football colleagues confirmed this influence:John Mackey explained that "thehuddle is colorblind."[83]
As a self-described "bleeding-heart conservative",[8] Kemp represented a part of the suburbanBuffalo region known as theSouthtowns (that traditionally voted Democratic) in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1989.[84][85] He was described as having the charisma of the earlierJohn F. Kennedy.[8][86]David Rosenbaum described Kemp as an independent politician who often legislated outside hiscommittees' jurisdictions and often spoke in favor of ideals and principles rather than his party's political platforms.[5] As a supply-sider, he was not a proponent ofbalanced budgeting and trivialized it while speaking of growth as an economic goal.[5][87]
TheErie County, New York Republicans had drafted Kemp after incumbent congressmanRichard D. McCarthy decided to run for theUnited States Senate.[5] During his inaugural campaign, his district was in economic malaise, andThe New York Times described him as a John F. Kennedy throwback who campaigned onfamily values, patriotism, sports, and defense.[7] Upon his election to the Congress in a class of sixty-two freshmen, he was one of six newcomers—along withRonald Dellums,Bella Abzug,Louise Day Hicks,Robert Drinan, andPete du Pont—discussed inTime. The article described him as a football fan like United States President Richard Nixon and as the recipient of advice from White House adviserRobert Finch and former Kemp boss Herb Klein, Nixon's director of communications. The Nixon aides encouraged Kemp to endorse theCambodian invasion and to oppose criticism of Nixon's war policies in order to firm up Kemp's support from military hawks.[88]
Kemp championed severalChicago school andsupply-side economics issues, including economic growth,free markets,free trade,tax simplification and lowertax rates on both employment and investment income.[89] He was a long-time proponent of theflat tax.[90] He also defended the use ofanti-Communistcontra forces in Central America,[91] supported thegold standard, spoke forcivil rights legislation, opposed abortion, and was the first lawmaker to popularizeenterprise zones,[5] which he supported to foster entrepreneurship andjob creation and expand homeownership among public housing tenants.[89][92] During his career, he sometimes sounded like a liberal Democrat;[7] he supportedaffirmative action[93][94] and rights forillegal immigrants.[95]The New York Times described Kemp as the most proactive combatant in the war on poverty sinceRobert F. Kennedy.[96] He differed fromRockefeller Republicans and earlier combatants such asLyndon Johnson by supporting incentive-based systems instead of traditional social programs.[7] For his commitment to inner city concerns from within the Republican party,David Gergen heralded him as a "courageous voice in the wilderness."[97] Although he was liberal on many social issues and supported civil liberties for homosexuals, he opposed certaingay rights such as the right to teach in schools.[21] Kemp at times felt his role was that of "freewheeling, entrepreneurial, wildcattingbackbencher."[98]
Time identified 38-year-old second-term congressman Kemp as a future leader in its 1974 "Faces for the Future" feature.[99] Another early-career notable magazine appearance was in a 1978 issue ofEsquire.[14] The article explained allegations of homosexual activity among staffers in Ronald Reagan's Sacramento office in 1967; Kemp was not implicated.[4] Kemp considered running for the U.S. Senate in 1980 andHugh Sidey mentioned him as a contender to unseatJimmy Carter in the1980 presidential election[86] and was a front runner for the vice presidency at the1980 Republican National Convention,[5][100] where he received 43 votes from conservative detractors of George H. W. Bush. After he was reelected for a sixth term in 1980, his Republican peers elected him to a party leadership position,[101] and he served seven years as chairman of the House Republican Conference.[3] This promotion occurred immediately after Kemp andDavid Stockman urged Reagan by memorandum to dedicate his first 100 days to working on an economic package with Congress.[102][103] Kemp considered running forGovernor of New York in 1982 but ultimately decided to stay in the House. By 1984, many viewed Kemp as Reagan's heir apparent.[4]
Kemp had his first encounter with supply-side economics in 1976, whenThe Wall Street Journal'sJude Wanniski interviewed him at his congressional office. Kemp questioned Wanniski all day (until midnight, at Kemp's Bethesda, Maryland home) and was eventually converted toUniversity of Southern California professorArthur Laffer's supply-side discipline.[5][104] Thereafter, Kemp espoused supply-side economics freely, and in 1978 he and Sen.William Roth of Delaware proposed tax-cutting legislation.[5] Kemp has been credited as responsible for supply-side economics' inclusion in President Reagan's economic plan,[105][106] although at the time ofRobert Mundell'sNobel Memorial Prize in Economics recognition some attributed much of the credit to Mundell, Laffer,Robert Bartley, and Wanniski.[107] In 1979, Kemp wroteAn American Renaissance (ISBN 0-06-012283-8), to deliver his message that "A rising tide lifts all boats."[108] Although the realization of early 1980s tax cuts are attributed to Reagan, they were initiated by Kemp and Roth through their 1981Kemp–Roth Tax Cut legislation.[5] Reagan's budget based on this legislation passed over the objection ofUnited States House Committee on Ways and Means ChairmanDan Rostenkowski.[109][110]
During the Reagan years, Kemp and his followers ignored budget balancing while promoting tax cuts and economic growth.[111][112] These tax cuts have been credited by conservatives for the economic growth from 1983 to 1990,[113] which by 1996 had become one of the longest expansions in American history.[114] Kemp notes thatFederal Reserve chairmanPaul Volcker's success at stemming inflation and the favorable regulatory environment were also major factors.[115] Detractors note that the expansion was fueled by undesirable sectors likegaming, prisons,medical treatment, and credit card use.[114]
An early Kemp tax reform attempt was an unsuccessful 1979 proposal to index tax brackets forcost of living fluctuations,[116] which was incorporated in Reagan's 1980 package.[104] Kemp co-sponsored a legislative attempt at enterprise zones in 1980.[117] One of Kemp's more trying times as a congressman came in 1982 when Reagan decided to reverse the tax cuts and promote tax increases. The reversal was controversial and stimulated opposition by Kemp. Nonetheless, the revised taxes passed.[118][119] In 1983, Kemp opposed the policies of chairman Volcker on multiple occasions. The debates included domestic monetary involvement and roles in funding theInternational Monetary Fund.[120][121]
Kemp delivered speeches at severalRepublican National Conventions. He addressed the convention on July 15 at the 1980 Republican National Convention in Detroit, Michigan and on August 21 at the1984 Republican National Convention inDallas, Texas.[122] During the 1984 Convention, withTrent Lott as Republican Party Platform Committee chairman, Congressmen Kemp andNewt Gingrich claimed control of the party platform to the consternation of G.O.P. senators Bob Dole andHoward Baker.[85] Kemp's official role was as the chairman of the platform subcommittee on foreign policy. However, the three platform planks that he proposed involved tax hikes, the gold standard and the role of theFederal Reserve.[123] Despite Kemp's official role, his real influence as an author was on the grammatical structure of the plank on tax hikes.[124][125] By 1985, Kemp was a leading contender for the 1988 presidential nomination.[126] He also delivered remarks on free enterprise zones at the1992 Republican National Convention inHouston, Texas.[127] Despite efforts and considerations of expanding his political domain, Kemp never held a fundraiser outside of his suburban Western New York district until well into his eighth term in Congress.[128]
Kemp was a critic of association football, known as soccer in the United States.[129] In 1986, during a House floor debate over whether the United States should host the1994 FIFA World Cup, Kemp proclaimed:
I think it is important for all those young out there—who someday hope to play realfootball, where you throw it and kick it and run with it and put it in your hands—[that] a distinction should be made that football is democratic capitalism, whereas soccer is a European socialist sport.[130][131]
Kemp compared his speech toGeorge Carlin's 1984 comedy routine on the differences between baseball and American football and wrote that his "tongue was firmly planted in cheek" when making the speech.[132] Despite the levity of the speech, it garnered significant backlash.[130][131] However, he continued to insist that soccer's main problem is "it doesn't have a quarterback".[132] Kemp noted that about half of his grandchildren play or have played organized soccer and claimed to have "changed" his position on soccer. He even attended the 1994 FIFA World Cup with longtime soccer fanHenry Kissinger, although he wrote during the2006 FIFA World Cup that soccer can be interesting to watch but is still a "boring game".[132]
In 1988, if Kemp had won his campaign for the United States presidency,[5] it would have made him the first person to move from the United States House of Representatives to the White House sinceJames Garfield.[133] When he formed his exploratory committee, he signedEd Rollins, Reagan's 1984 re-election political director, as an advisor.[134] From the outset, Kemp had failed to position himself as the primary alternative to Vice President Bush.[82] Except for a select few cognoscenti,[135] the general public did not recognize Kemp's leadership ability, although he was a successful man of ideas.[82][136] In fact, most of the Republican electorate found themselves unfamiliar with Kemp early in his campaign.[135] Political pundits recognized him, however, as a visionary idea man.[137] In addition, he was quickly perceived as a verbose speaker who sometimes lost contact with his audience.[82] Although Kemp tried to appeal to conservatives, hislibertarian philosophies of tolerance and individual rights and his commitment to supporting minorities, women,blue-collar workers andorganized labor clashed with conservative voters' social and religious values.[82] To Democrats, Kemp's free-market philosophies were a form oflaissez-faire anarchy.[138] However, as much as Kemp wanted to minimize government's role, he acknowledged that moves toward a more laissez-faire system should be well-thought out.[139]
After the May 1987Gary Hart–Donna Rice scandal, aquestionnaire byThe New York Times requested things such as psychiatric records and access toFBI files from all 14 presidential candidates. Candidates from each party expressed opinions on both sides of the personal privacy issue, and Kemp rejected theTimes inquiry as "beneath the dignity of a presidential candidate".[140][141] His campaign was on an early positive course with many key early endorsements in New Hampshire, but Bush held the support of much of the Republican establishment in New York.[4] Although he had an eclectic mix of supporters, Kemp's campaign began borrowing against anticipated Federalmatching funds because it had quickly spent itself into the red,[4] which may have been due to the use of expensivedirect mail fundraising techniques.[142] To offset his socially moderate stances, Kemp clarified his opposition to abortion, his support of theStrategic Defense Initiative (SDI) and his support for a stronger military than that favored by Secretary of StateGeorge Shultz.[4][82] To position himself as Reagan's successor, Kemp called for Shultz's resignation based on claims that Shultz had neglectedfreedom fighters inAfghanistan andNicaragua and had waffled on the SDI.[143] In an attempt to highlight his stands on key Reagan Era foreign policy initiatives, Kemp traveled in September 1987 to Costa Rica, Honduras and El Salvador to lobby the presidents of those nations against the Arias Peace Plan—a peace accord US conservatives felt too conciliatory to Central American communists. He was accompanied on the trip by 50-plus US conservative leaders.[144]
Despite a platform covering the full range of political subjects, Kemp's primary campaign weapon was a fiscal policy based on tax cuts. As part of his fiscal policy, he opposed aSocial Security benefits freeze and endorsed a freeze on government spending.[145] Some viewed Kemp's supply-side stance as an attempt to ignore the nationalbudget deficit. In late 1987, political pundits saw that Kemp needed to gain support from the far right on non-social issues.[146] Kemp was among the majority of Republican candidates in opposition to Reagan'sINF Treaty agreement with theSoviet Union'sMikhail Gorbachev despite general Republican voter approval of the treaty. With aspirations of support from right-wing voters, all candidates with low levels of poll support for the nomination took this same "sabre-rattling" stand.[147][148] By early 1988, the moderates (Bush and Dole) were clearly the front-runners and Kemp was battling withPat Robertson as the conservative alternative to the moderates.[149]
He used a somewhat negative advertising campaign that seemed to have the intended initial effect of boosting him to serious contention.[150] His 1988 campaign was based on the platform of supply-side economics and inner-city enterprise zones.[8] InBare Knuckles and Back Rooms: My Life in American Politics, campaign chairman Rollins described Kemp as a candidate with foibles.[151] Kemp's campaign managers say he was unmanageable: he ignored timers on his speeches, refused to call contributors, and refused to practice for debates. A humblingSuper Tuesday, in which his 39 delegate total was fewer than eventual nominee and President Bush and both Dole and Pat Robertson, ended his campaign.[5][8] After withdrawing from the race, he was still considered a contender for the vice presidential nomination.[152] In 1989, the Kemps switched their official residence fromHamburg, New York toBethesda, Maryland,[153] their residence at the time of his death.[9] In 1994, Kemp's 1988 campaign reached a settlement with theFederal Election Commission by agreeing to pay $120,000 incivil penalties for 1988 campaign election law violations for, among other things, excessive contributions, improper direct corporate donations, press overbilling, exceeding spending limits inIowa andNew Hampshire, and failure to reimburse corporations for providing air transportation.[154]
As a so-called "bleeding-heart conservative", Kemp was a logical choice for Bush as theSecretary of Housing and Urban Development,[155] whose job would be to fosterpublic sector andprivate sector methods to meet the demands of public housing.[156] However, the scandals of Reagan's Secretary of Housing and Urban DevelopmentSamuel Pierce and the neglect of the president were obstacles from the start, and Kemp was unsuccessful at either of his major initiatives: enacting enterprise zones and promoting public housing tenant ownership.[157] The goal of these two plans was to change public housing into tenant-owned residences and to lure industry and business into inner cities with federal incentives.[158] Although Kemp did not affect much policy as HUD's director, he cleaned up HUD's reputation,[157][159] and developed a plan to salvage theFederal Housing Administration.[160] He halted or revamped certain programs and developed an antidrug offensive,[161][162] which enabled him to collaborate withDirector of the National Drug Control PolicyBill Bennett.[163] He supported "Operation Clean Sweep" and similar movements to prohibit firearm possession in public housing.[162][164]
Although Kemp coaxed Bush to support a $4 billion housing program that encouraged public housing tenants to buy their own apartments, theDemocratic Congress allocated only $361 million to the plan.[8] In addition to opposition in Congress, Kemp fought White HouseBudget DirectorRichard Darman, who opposed Kemp's pet project HOPE (Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere). The project involved selling public housing to its tenants. Darman also opposed Kemp's proposed welfare adjustment of government offsets.[96] HOPE was first proposed to White House chief of staffJohn Sununu in June 1989 to create enterprise zones, increase subsidies for low-income renters, expand social services for the homeless and elderly, and enact tax changes to help first-time home buyers.[96] Sununu opposed it at first as did most of theCabinet, but in August 1990 Sununu, at the urging ofUnited States Attorney GeneralDick Thornburgh, encouraged President Bush to endorse Kemp's Economic Empowerment Task Force. However, thePersian Gulf War and the budget negotiations overshadowed Kemp's new project.[96] Darman battled Kemp and his allies such as Gingrich,James Pinkerton, andVin Weber.[96] The budget left him with $256 million for his plan, which Kemp increased during some appropriations battles.[96] Soon afterClayton Yeutter was appointed chief White House domestic policy advisor, Kemp's Economic Empowerment Task Force was abolished.[96]
President Bush avoided federal antipoverty issues,[165] and instead used Kemp to speak on the administration's low priority conservative activist agenda.[166][167] Bush's contribution to the urban agenda had beenvolunteerism through his "Points of Light" theme,[168] and Kemp received stronger support for his ideas from presidential candidateBill Clinton.[169] By the time of theLos Angeles riots of 1992, Bush was a bit late in supporting enterprise zones, tenant ownership and welfare reform:[8]Mort Zuckerman compared Bush's vision on racial issues to that of a man riding backwards in a railroad car.[170] Nonetheless, the riots made Kemp a focal point of the administration,[171][172] even though at first, Kemp had been overlooked.[173] However,Charles E. Schumer had probably summarized the prospects of Kemp's success in advance best when he said in 1989, "Good ideas with money can do a whole lot. Good ideas without money aren't probably going to do a whole lot," and the issue here was the decision not to fund Kemp's ideas.[108] Although Kemp was unable to procure money for his visions, he was among the administration's leading users offirst classcorporate jets.[174] He cited lingering effects from a knee injury as the reason he had to fly first class at government expense as the Housing Secretary.[175]
Generally, his time as housing secretary was considered unsuccessful.[5] However, although he could not get federal funding for empowerment zones passed during his tenure, by 1992 38 states had created empowerment zones,[176] and in 1994 $3.5 billion was approved for them under President Clinton.[177] A free market Kemp initiative to allow homeowners to subdivide their houses for the purpose of creating rental units without inordinate bureaucracy did not get executed under the Clinton administration, however.[178] In 1992, withH. Ross Perot mounting a formidable campaign, Kemp was again considered a vice presidential candidate.[179][180]
Kemp was partly at fault for not achieving either of his primary goals because he did not get along with the rest of the Cabinet.[96] At one point, Kemp toldJames Baker,White House Chief of Staff, that Bush's best chance to win reelection was to dump his economic advisors in dramatic fashion.[181] Before the 1992 Republican National Convention, Kemp and six prominent Republican conservatives prepared a controversial memo urging Bush to revise his economic policy.[182] Contemporaneously, conservative Republicans in office and in the media such asWilliam F. Buckley Jr. andGeorge Will feltDan Quayle should be ousted in favor of Kemp.[183] This followed Kemp's reference to parts of the President's economic policy as "gimmicks" after the 1992State of the Union Address.[184] Kemp was respected within the party for opposing Bush,[185] and towards the end of Bush's administration insiders recognized his value.[186] In late 1991, 81 of the 166 Republican Congressmen signed a letter co-authored byCurt Weldon andDan Burton requesting that Bush cede some domestic authority to Kemp as a "domestic policy czar."[185] The letter, highlighting Kemp's "energy, enthusiasm and national clout", insulted Bush.[187] Kemp was a bit of a surprise to stay in theBush Cabinet for the duration of his presidency,[188] and he was described as one of the few Bush administration members who would take tough stands.[189] Kemp did not expect to be retained if the Republicans were reelected in 1992,[190] and some pundits agreed with him.[186]
Kemp gave public speeches for $35,000 apiece between his time as Housing Secretary and his vice presidential nomination. By 1994, Kemp had embarked on 241 fund-raising dinners to raise $35 million for a 1996 presidential bid and to pay off his 1988 campaign debts.[8] After stepping down from his $189,000 Secretary of Housing and Urban Development job, Kemp personally earned $6.9 million in the next three years, primarily for speaking on behalf of local Republican candidates.[95][191] During theSuper Bowl XXVIII festivities, Kemp hosted a notable fundraiser series.[192]
Kemp was considered the star of the 1992 Republican National Convention.[193] In 1992 and 1993, Kemp was considered the favorite or co-favorite for the 1996 presidential nomination.[194][195][196] At the time of the 1994mid-term elections, Kemp was widely anticipated to announce his candidacy for 1996,[197] and his supporters wanted a formal announcement by the end of the year.[198] In January 1995, Kemp's stated reason for not entering the1996 Republican Party presidential primaries was that his personal beliefs were out of balance with the contemporary Republican political landscape: Kemp opposedterm limits, he always preferred tax cuts to anything resembling abalanced budget amendment and, unlike most Republicans, favored federal incentives to combat urban poverty.[199][200] In 1995,Gloria Borger noted Kemp was not in step with the 1994Contract with America.[201] Kemp also noted a distaste for the fundraising necessary for a presidential campaign.[202] Gergen stated that by 1996 the selection process had become so expensive, mean and personally invasive that it discouraged several top Republicans from running.[203]
Senate Majority Leader Dole and Gingrich appointed Kemp to head a tax reform commission, (theKemp Commission), in response to voter concern that thetax code had become too complicated.[204] Kemp championed many issues including the flat tax,[90] which he formally proposed after he was appointed.[205][206][207] The proposal included some politically popular incometax deductions, such as mortgage interest,[208] but it remained fairly general.[209] Among the 1996 Republican Party candidates, bothSteve Forbes andPhil Gramm proposed the flat tax.[207][210]
During the campaign, Kemp's endorsement was highly coveted.[211][212] Forbes had tried to get Kemp to run in the 1996 campaign, but Kemp declined and in fact endorsed Forbes just as Dole was closing in on the nomination, and just after Dole gained the endorsements of former contendersLamar Alexander andRichard Lugar.[8][213] Some feel the primary reason for the endorsement was to keep the flat tax idea and other supply-side views alive.[214][215] Many thought Kemp had destroyed his own political future with the endorsement, and Kemp profusely apologized to Dole's campaign offices.[8] After it became clear Dole would be the nominee, Kemp attempted to form abipartisan seminar withFelix Rohatyn to produce a fiscal plan that could be endorsed by both parties.[216]
Kemp was also outspoken on immigration at around this time: according to Kemp's interpretation of a scientific index that he and Bennett support, "immigrants are a blessing, not a curse."[217] In 1994, Kemp and Bennett opposed California ballotProposition 187, a measure to bar illegal immigrants from obtaining public services, in direct opposition to first-term Republican California GovernorPete Wilson, one of its endorsers who was running for re-election.[218][219] Kemp supported rights for illegal immigrants, and opposedLamar Smith andAlan Simpson's proposed restrictions on legal immigration.[220]
Kemp had a reputation as the highest-profile progressive Republican. When Dole declined an invitation to speak to theNational Association for the Advancement of Colored People, he suggested Kemp as a substitute even before Kemp had become the vice presidential nominee.[221] On August 5, 1996, Dole announced a 15% across-the-board tax cut in response to both the Forbes campaign and Kemp's tax reform commission. Several of Dole's other campaign ideas came from Kemp and Bill Bennett'sEmpower America, which hadJeane Kirkpatrick, Weber, Forbes and Alexander as principals. For example, Dole borrowed Kirkpatrick's toughforeign policy, Bennett's "right conduct" and even Alexander's school choice interest.[222]
Bennett declined the offer to be Dole's running mate but suggested Kemp,[223] a man described as Dole's antagonist.[224] On August 16, 1996,[225] the Republican Party chose Kemp as its vice presidentialnominee, running alongside former Senator Dole. Kemp was seen as a means to attract conservative andlibertarian-minded voters like those of tough nomination-challengers Forbes andPat Buchanan.[226] Kemp was chosen overConnie Mack,John McCain, andCarroll Campbell,[227] and it is assumed that this was partly because Kemp had several former staffers in influential positions as Dole's senior advisors.[228] Dole had had a long history of representing the budget-balancing faction of the Party, while Kemp had had a long history of representing the tax-cutting advocates,[229] and Kemp's tax-cutting fiscal track record was seen as the perfect fit for the ticket.[230] When Kemp became Dole's running mate in 1996, they appeared on the cover of the August 19, 1996, issue ofTime magazine,[231] but the pair barely edged out a story on the reported discovery ofextraterrestrial life onMars;Time inset the latter on the cover and wrote about how difficult the decision was.[232]
The two politicians had a storied history stemming from alternative perspectives and objectives. Dole was a longstanding conservative deficit hawk who had even voted againstJohn F. Kennedy's tax cuts, while Kemp was an outspoken supply-sider. In the early 1980s, according toDavid Stockman, Kemp persuaded Reagan to make a 30% across-the-board tax cut a central1980 presidential campaign feature. Once Reagan was elected, Dole was theSenate Finance Committee chairman who Kemp claims resisted the plan every step of the way. Dole concedes he expressed reservations about the 1981 plan. The big confrontation came after the tax plan was approved and after Dole subsequently proposed tax increases that he referred to as reforms. Kemp was vocal in his opposition to the reforms and even penned anop-ed piece inThe New York Times, which enraged Dole. Reagan supported the reforms at Dole's request, causing Kemp to summon allies to meetings to stop the act, which eventually passed in 1982.[233] At the 1984 Republican National Convention, Kemp, along with allies such as Gingrich and Lott, added a plank to the party platform that put President Reagan on record as ruling out tax increases. Gingrich called this action "Dole proofing" the platform, and the plank passed over Dole's opposition. Then, in 1985, Dole proposed an austere budget that barely passed in the Senate withappendectomy patientPete Wilson casting the tying vote and Vice President Bush casting the deciding vote. In meetings with the president that excluded Dole, Kemp reworked the budget to exclude crucialSocial Security cutbacks. This is said to have been Dole's most crushing political defeat and to have contributed to the Republican loss of control of the Senate. During the 1988 presidential election, the two antagonized each other. After Bush won and Kemp left Congress for the Cabinet, the two did not really cross paths again until 1996, when Kemp endorsed Dole's opponent Forbes on the eve of the New York Primary in March.[233]
Dole despised Kemp's economic theories,[93] but he felt Kemp-like tax cuts offered his best chance at electoral success.[234] For his part, Kemp had to make concessions as well: he had to back expelling the children of illegal immigrants frompublic schools despite his longstanding opposition toProposition 187, and mute his opposition to abolishing affirmative-action programs in California.[225][235] Some derided Kemp for his compromise and referred to him as a "con artist".[236] From the outset of their campaign, Dole-Kemp trailed,[237] and they faced skeptics even from within the party.[238] However, Kemp was able to use the nomination to promote his opposition to Clinton's partial birth abortion ban veto.[239] During the campaign, Kemp and Forbes advocated for a stronger stand on tax cutting than Dole used.[240][241] However, in general, the opinion was that Kemp was helpful to the ticket's chances of catching Bill Clinton,[242][243][244] and Kemp's advocacy gave a clear picture of the tax reforms that would likely occur on the condition of a successful campaign.[245] Kemp was seen as likely to influence several types ofswing voters, especially those of his native state of California,[229] and even the Democrats feared Kemp might lure voters.[236]
After receiving the nomination, Kemp became the ticket's spokesman for minorities and the inner-city.[246][247][248] Due to agreement on the self-help policy thatLouis Farrakhan has endorsed in many fora including theMillion Man March, Kemp in a sense aligned himself with Farrakhan.[249][250] However, Farrakhan was perceived as beinganti-Semitic,[250] and Kemp was considered an ally of Republican Jews.[251] This issue necessitated some political sidestepping.[250] As the nominee, Kemp at times overshadowed Dole.[239] In fact, more than once, Kemp was described as if he was the presidential nominee.[239][252] In addition to having overshadowed Dole, despite the negative ad campaigns that the ticket used, Kemp was a very positive running mate who relied on apep rally type of campaign tour full of football-related metaphors and hyperbole.[253] Although some enjoyed Kemp's style, referring to him as the Good Shepherd,[253] his detractors, such asU.S. News & World Report writerSteven V. Roberts, criticized the extensive use of recounting stories of passingballs relative to the use of recounting stories of passingbills.[254] During the campaign, Kemp expressed the opinion that Republican Party leaders did not stand behind the ticket wholeheartedly.[255] Despite Kemp's voice on minority issues, Colin Powell's support and polls that showed about 30% of blacks identified themselves as conservatives on issues such asschool prayer,school vouchers andcriminal justice, the Republicans were unable to improve upon historical support levels from African-American voters.[256]
BothAl Gore and Kemp had presidential aspirations, which induced pursuit of debate on a higher plane.[257] In addition, Gore and Kemp were long-time friends, unlike Gore and his previous vice presidential opponent Dan Quayle. Thus, as debaters they avoided personal attacks.[258] However, some felt Kemp failed to counter substantive attacks.[259] In the final October 9, 1996, vice presidential debate againstAl Gore (held as the Dole–Kemp ticket trailed badly in the national polls), Kemp was soundly beaten,[260][261] and Al Gore's performance is considered one of the best modern debate performances.[262] The debate topics ranged broadly from the usual such as abortion and foreign policy to the unusual such as an incident preceding the then-current baseball playoffs, in whichRoberto Alomar, theBaltimore Orioles'second baseman, cursed and spat on anumpire.[263][264] The Mexico policy debate was one of the more interesting topics for critical review.[265] The Gore victory was not a surprise since Kemp had been outmatched by Gore in previous encounters,[94] and Gore had a reputation as an experienced and vaunted debater.[266]
In 1993, Kemp, Bennett, Kirkpatrick and financial backerTheodore Forstmann co-founded thefree marketadvocacy groupEmpower America,[89][267] which later merged withCitizens for a Sound Economy to formFreedom Works. Empower America represented thepopulist wing of the party: while avoiding divisive issues such as abortion and gay rights, it promoted free markets and growth over balancing the budget and cutting the deficit.[268][269] He resigned as co-chairman of Freedom Works in March 2005 after theFederal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) questioned his ties to Samir Vincent, aNorthern Virginia oil trader implicated in theU.N. Oil-for-food scandal who pleaded guilty to four criminal charges, including illegally acting as an unregistered lobbyist of theIraqi government ofSaddam Hussein.[270] Testimony about Kemp became prominent in the trial.[271] FBIinformant Richard Fino tied Kemp to James Cosentino just weeks before the 1996 election.[272]
By 1996, Kemp had been named adirector of sixcorporate boards. He was a director for Hawk Corporation,IDT Corporation, CNL Hotels and Resorts,InPhonic,Cyrix Corporation and American Bankers Insurance Group.[273][274] Kemp briefly served on the board ofOracle Corporation, whose CEO was his friendLarry Ellison,[275] in 1996, but resigned when he ran for vice president; he was named to the board ofSix Flags, Inc. in December 2005.[276] Kemp opted not to stand for re-election to IDT's board in 2006.[277] He also served on theHabitat for Humanity board of directors,[278] and served on the board ofAtlanta-based software maker EzGov Inc.[279] Kemp also served on the board of directors of Election.com,[280] which was the private company that ran the world's first election on the internet (won by Al Gore), the 2000 Arizona Democratic Primary. Kemp was also a business partner with Edra andTim Blixseth promoting membership in the elite private ski and golfYellowstone Club. Kemp also partnered with the Blixseths in a failed anti-terrorism software venture called Blxware which was investigated for "conning" the federal government out of $20 million in contracts for software which fraudulently claimed to detect secret messages fromAl-Qaeda in television broadcast signals.[281] Kemp was the founder and chairman of Kemp Partners, a strategic consulting firm that helps clients achieve both business and public policy goals.
In addition to corporateboards of directors, Kemp served on several advisory boards such as theUCLA School of Public Policy Advisory Board, and the Toyota Diversity Advisory Board as well as theHoward University Board of Trustees, on which he served since 1993.[278] On March 25, 2003, Kemp was selected as chairman of the board of Directors ofUSA Football, a national advocacy group for amateur football created by theNational Football League (NFL) and theNFL Players Association. The organization supportsPop Warner,American Youth Football,Boys and Girls Clubs of America,National Recreation and Park Association,Police Athletic League,YMCA, and theAmateur Athletic Union.[9] He was also vice president ofNFL Charities.
In the late 1990s, Kemp remained outspoken on political issues: he was critical of Clinton'sInternational Monetary Fund lax policies toward South Korea.[282] In early 1998, he was a serious contender for the2000 United States presidential election, but his campaign possibilities faltered,[283] and he instead endorsed eventual winner George W. Bush. Kemp continued his political advocacy for reform of taxation, Social Security and education.[9] When a 1997 budget surplus was earmarked for debt repayment, Kemp opposed the plan in favor of tax cuts.[284] Along withJohn Ashcroft andAlan Krueger, he endorsed reform ofpayroll taxes to eliminatedouble taxation.[285] In addition to his fiscal and economic policies, Kemp advocated against abortion when Congress was considering a bill banningintact dilation and extractions.[286] He also advocated for retired NFL veterans on issues such as cardiovascular screening,assisted living, disability benefits, and the 2007joint replacement program.[287] He argued in support of reforming immigration laws.[288] In the late 1990s, Kemp also was a vocal advocate for free market reform in Africa, arguing that the continent had great economic growth potential if it could shedautocratic andstatist governmental policies.[289]
In 1997, when Gingrich was embroiled in a House ethics controversy, Kemp served as anintermediary between Dole and Gingrich to save the Republican Party leader.[290] Later, in 2002, when Lott made caustic remarks aboutStrom Thurmond, Kemp was upset, and he supported Lott's apology, saying he had encouraged him to "repudiate segregation in every manifestation."[291] Kemp was among the prominent leaders who pledged to raise money in 2005 forScooter Libby's defense when he was charged withperjury andobstruction of justice in a case regarding the release ofCentral Intelligence Agency information.[292]
In June 2004, Kemp rescinded his support of Vernon Robinson for Congress due to the latter's views on immigration laws, citing Robinson's choice to run "as aPat Buchanan Republican".[293][294]
In 2006 Kemp, along with 2004 vice-presidential nomineeJohn Edwards, co-chaired theCouncil on Foreign Relations task force on Russia,[295] producing a document called "Russia's Wrong Direction: What the United States Can and Should Do".[296] After their task force roles ended, the pair advocated solutions to poverty in America at various fora.[297]
On January 6, 2008, Kemp endorsed McCain in the2008 Republican presidential primaries shortly before theNew Hampshire primary, which surprised conservative Republican tax cutters.[298] However, as McCain neared the official nomination, the press associated McCain with Kemp more and more.[299] Kemp prepared an open letter toSean Hannity,Rush Limbaugh,Laura Ingraham and other conservative talk show hosts on McCain's behalf to quell their dissatisfactions.[300][301][302] In addition, Kemp and Phil Gramm advised McCain on economic policy.[303]
He was a syndicated newspaper columnist.[304]
In February 2008, Kemp was associated with a group called "Defense of Democracies" that was advocating anelectronic surveillance bill that failed in the House of Representatives. The group'stelevision ad caused such controversy that some of its advisors, including Schumer andDonna Brazile, resigned.[305]
He was a member of the advisory council of theVictims of Communism Memorial Foundation[306] and served as co-chair of theAbraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Cabinet.[307]
He was a board member for theLott IMPACT Trophy, which is awarded annually to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year.[308]
On January 7, 2009, Kemp's office issued a statement announcing that he had cancer; the type of cancer and the anticipated treatment were not announced. Hisdiagnosis andprognosis were never publicly disclosed. He continued to serve as chairman of his Washington-based Kemp Partners consulting firm and continued his involvement in charitable and political work until his death.[309][310]
On May 2, 2009, Kemp died from cancer at his home in Bethesda, Maryland, at the age of 73.[311] PresidentBarack Obama praised Kemp's work on race, adding that Kemp understood that divisions involving race and class stood in the way of the country's common goals, and former PresidentGeorge W. Bush said that Kemp "will be remembered for his significant contributions to the Reagan Revolution and his steadfast dedication to conservative principles during his long and distinguished career in public service."[312] It was later revealed that Kemp probably hadmelanoma.[313]
Kemp's legacy includes theKemp–Roth Tax Cut of the 1980s, also known as the first of two "Reagan tax cuts." These served as the foundation of supply-side economics, known asReaganomics. Many Republicans have endorsed thisLaffer Curve view that tax cuts can spur economic growth and reducedeficits. Although George H. W. Bush called this philosophyvoodoo economics,George W. Bush and his Treasury Secretary,John W. Snow, were believers.[314] Kemp is also remembered alongsideGeorge Wallace andWilliam Jennings Bryan for influencing history by changing the direction of presidential elections despite their defeats.[315]
In the early 21st century, Kemp continued to be considered along with Reagan as the politician most responsible for the implementation of supply-side tax cuts and along withSteve Forbes as the political figure most responsible for their continued place in the marketplace of political ideas.[316] He has been described as a beacon of economic conservatism and a hero for his urban agenda.[317][318] Today, he continues to be described as a hero tofiscal conservatives who believe that free markets and low taxes work better than government bureaucracies.[106][300] Kemp was considered the leader of the progressive conservatives who are socially conservative, but avoidprotectionist fiscal and trade policy.[319]
In addition to Roth, he has had numerous political allies. At times, he collaborated with Gingrich and Lott on deregulation and tax cuts,[5][320] collaborated with McCain andPhil Gramm on tax cuts and spending restraints,[321] legislated with and campaigned forJoseph Lieberman,[322] and fought poverty withJames Pinkerton.[96]Pete du Pont was a progressive conservative ally.[319] After retiring from Congress and serving in the Cabinet, Kemp remained close to Gingrich, Lott, Weber, and Mack.[8][201][323] Kemp was a member of the federal committee to promoteMartin Luther King Jr. Day as anational holiday.[242] As a progressive voter, he hadcivil rights leaders such asBenjamin Hooks,Andrew Young andCoretta Scott King and conservative black intellectuals likeGlenn C. Loury and Robert L. Woodson as supporters and friends.[108] He boasted of having Democratic friends such asWilliam H. Gray III,Charles B. Rangel andRobert Garcia.[7]Ken Blackwell was a Deputy Secretary under Kemp.[324] During the Reagan presidency, when Kemp was able to effect tax cutting, a leadingUnited States Senate tax-cutting proponent was DemocratBill Bradley, a former basketball star.[325] Several American football players have followed Kemp to Congress, includingSteve Largent,[326]J. C. Watts,[327] andHeath Shuler.[328]
CongressmanPaul Ryan cites Kemp as a mentor, and mentioned him in his acceptance speech as the Republican vice-presidential nominee in 2012.[329]
"Growth is obviously what Jack Kemp was about" statedFred Barnes[330] in the opening of the session "Growth! Growth! Growth!" of Jack Kemp Foundation's Forum onThe Future of the American Idea, in 2014. Kemp didn't believe in limits to growth,[331] a blind spot shared by many politicians of his era and which prompted him to dismiss the 1991 Report of the United Nations Population Fund as "nonsense".[332]
SenatorArlen Specter in a severe rebuke of federal governmental policy, stated just one day after Kemp died of cancer, that Kemp would still be alive if the federal government had done a better job funding cancer research.[333]
Following Kemp's death, his son,Jimmy Kemp, created the Jack Kemp Foundation to continue his father's legacy.[334] A 501(c)(3) charitable organization, the foundation's mission statement is to "develop, engage and recognize exceptional leaders who champion the American Idea". The foundation is located in Washington, D.C., and is committed to advancing the universal values of the American Idea: growth, freedom, democracy and hope.[335]
The football stadium at Occidental College is named after him.[336]
In addition to authoring significant legislation as a congressman, Kemp wrote or co-authored several books:
Kemp also wrote theforeword to several books:
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