James Kemp (NAACP)

James Kemp
President of the NAACP
In office
1982–1983
Preceded byWilliam Montague Cobb
Succeeded byEnolia McMillan
Personal details
Born
James Horace Kemp

(1912-08-18)August 18, 1912
Muskogee, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedDecember 5, 1983(1983-12-05) (aged 71)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

James Horace Kemp (18 August 1912 in Muskogee[1] – 5 December 1983 in Chicago) was an American labor organizer and elected president of the NAACP.[2][3] He was married to Maida Springer Kemp, a labor organizer and historian.[4] He served on the executive board of the Chicago Federation of Labor.[5] He was also a board member of the Regional Transportation Authority.

In 1969, Kemp was elected to the Illinois Constitutional Convention as a delegate from the 22nd legislative district, which covered Bronzeville and adjacent neighborhoods.[1][6]

Legacy

  • METX 105, an EMD F40PH locomotive owned by Metra is named after James Kemp (because he was on the board of directors of the Regional Transit Authority, which oversees Metra). It entered service with Metra in 1977 and was the sixth F40PH to be delivered into their fleet. It currently serves the BNSF Line out of Chicago Union Station.

References

  1. ^ a b Heise, Kenan (1983-12-07). "J. Kemp, labor leader, national head of NAACP". Chicago Tribune.
  2. ^ "James Kemp Is Dead at 71; Held N.A.A.C.P. Presidency". The New York Times. 9 December 1983. Retrieved 15 November 2017.
  3. ^ The Crisis Publishing Company, Inc. (1983). "James Hemp, NAACP National President, Succumbs at 71". The Crisis. The Crisis Publishing Company, Inc.
  4. ^ Richards, Yevette (2004). Conversations with Maida Springer: A Personal History of Labor, Race, and International Relations. University of Pittsburgh Press. ISBN 9780822970835.
  5. ^ "Introduction to Con-Con Delegates". Southern Illinoisan. February 26, 1970. p. 24. Retrieved 15 November 2017. James H. Kemp. He has been president of Local 189 the Building Service Union for 23 years and also serves on the executive board of Chicago Federation of Labor. Born Aug 18 1912, he attended Crane Junior College and received a bachelors degree from Lewis Institute in 1940. Among other activities, he is a national board member of the NAACP and was a member of the Fair Employment Practice Commission from 1961-69. He is vice chairman of the Ball of Rights Committee 23rd district South Chicago.
  6. ^ Ziemba, Stan (1969-10-12). "22d District Con-Con Candidates Seek Common Ends". Chicago Tribune.


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