Isaac Herbert Kempner (January 14, 1873 – August 1, 1967) was the founder of the Imperial Sugar Corporation and mayor of

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

Early years

Kempner was born in 1873 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father was a Polish Jewish immigrant and his mother was from the

German Jewish The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (''circa'' 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish ...

Seinsheimer family in Cincinnati. Kempner was the eldest of eight surviving children. He studied at Washington and Lee University, but left just before graduation when his father died in 1894. Kempner returned to his family home in Galveston, Texas to assume control of the family business and care for his mother and seven siblings (who were as young as 2 years old at the time). In 1902, Kempner married Henrietta Blum. They had 5 children together: Harris Leon Kempner, Isaac Herbert Kempner Jr., Cecile, Lyda, and Leonora.

Business ventures

In 1905, Kempner and fellow Galveston businessman

William Lewis Moody Jr. William Lewis Moody Jr. (January 25, 1865 – July 21, 1954)Who Was Who In America, Vol. 3, 1951-1960. Library of Congress number 43-3789. was an American financier and entrepreneur from Galveston, Texas, who founded a private bank, an insurance ...

, established the

American National Insurance Company American National Insurance Company (ANICO) is a major American insurance corporation based in Galveston, Texas. The company and its subsidiaries operate in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Company description American National was founded in ...

; However, by 1908, Kempner had sold his shares in the insurance company and with his family members, and a partner, William T. Eldridge, purchased a sugar plantation and mill in the area that would become the

company town A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...

of Sugar Land. Over the following years, they acquired additional assets and controlled the majority of the sugar industry in Texas. These holdings were incorporated into the Imperial Sugar Company in 1924. After Eldridge died, Kempner and his siblings acquired his partner's interest in the business. In addition to his sugar and cotton holdings, Kempner was also involved in real estate and insurance businesses and, along with his siblings, held ownership in the United States National Bank in Galveston. Kempner also contributed construction funds for the original 3.3 mile Galveston Seawall (which is currently 10 miles as of 2017).

Civic contributions

Kempner held various positions on the Galveston Cotton Exchange for the majority of his life. He was Galveston's finance commissioner from 1901 to 1915 and its mayor from 1917 to 1919. He is cited as one of the original proponents of the commission form of government.

Legacy

Sugar Land, the company town he helped found, has grown into the largest suburb of the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Kempner High School in Sugar Land is named in his honor. An historical district of Galveston, TX – the Kempner Park neighborhood, is bounded by Broadway, 23rd Street, Seawall Boulevard, and 39th Street. The entire stretch of 22nd Street in Galveston is named in his honor. After the Storm of 1900, he also was instrumental in financing the construction of the Galveston Seawall. Kempner, along with his siblings, was instrumental in the founding of the

Harris & Eliza Kempner Fund Harris may refer to: Places Canada * Harris, Ontario * Northland Pyrite Mine (also known as Harris Mine) * Harris, Saskatchewan * Rural Municipality of Harris No. 316, Saskatchewan Scotland * Harris, Outer Hebrides (sometimes called the Isle of ...

, a

charitable foundation A foundation (also a charitable foundation) is a category of nonprofit organization or charitable trust that typically provides funding and support for other charitable organizations through grants, but may also engage directly in charitable act ...

dedicated to the health and well-being of Galveston families as well as the improvement of Galveston.Harris & Eliza Kempner Fund: About the Foundation
/ref> His granddaughter, Lyda Ann Thomas, served as the Mayor of Galveston from 2004 to 2010.

References

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