He was born on a farm in Hebron, Nebraska,[1] the son of Frank Herman Kemper and Louisa Haulker.[2] In 1906, Kemper found work with a survey crew working on the railway west of Edmonton, Alberta. He returned home later that year but, in the summer of 1907, he traveled north again and worked on a farm near Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Later in 1907, he settled on a homestead south of Gull Lake. Kemper returned to Nebraska and married Mina Burwell in 1911. The couple returned to Saskatchewan later that same year. After working on a farm near Moose Jaw, they were able to purchase land not far from his original homestead. Kemper served on the rural municipal district council for Arlington.[1]
He was also a director for the Saskatchewan section of the United Farmers of Canada. Kemper was elected during the 1934 Saskatchewan general election, representing Gull Lake as a member of the Farmer-Labour Group (FLG). The FLG was founded in 1932.[3] In 1935, it changed its name and officially became the Saskatchewan section of the national Co-operative Commonwealth Federation or CCF. During the eighth provincial election on June 19, 1934, the FLG had five elected members come to office,[4] including Kemper. He was defeated when he ran for reelection to the provincial assembly in Gull Lake in 1938 and in the Maple Creek federal riding in 1940.[1]
In 1953, Kemper sold his farm and retired to the town of Shaunavon. He died in a car accident near Tompkins while travelling to a CCF rally.[1]
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