Rufus Crosby Kemper III (b.

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...

, January 7, 1951) is the former director of the U.S. National

Institute of Museum and Library Services The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for librar ...

(IMLS). Previously director of the

Kansas City Public Library The Kansas City Public Library is a public system headquartered in the Central Library (Kansas City, Missouri), Central Library in Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri. The system operates its Central Library and neighborhood branches l ...

from 2005 until 2020, Kemper's other experience includes CEO/Chairman of

UMB Financial Corporation UMB Financial Corporation is an American financial services company headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri. It offers comprehensive financial services, including deposit solutions like checking and savings accounts, credit services including hom ...

. In 2005, Kemper co-founded the

Show-Me Institute The Show-Me Institute, or SMI, is an American think tank based in St. Louis, Missouri that promotes public policies that advance free market principles. Founded in 2005, the organization focuses on economic and good governance issues in the state ...

with

Rex Sinquefield Rex Andrew Sinquefield (; born September 7, 1944) is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist who has been called an "index-fund pioneer" for creating the first passively managed index fund open to the general public. Sinquefield wa ...

. He chaired the Missouri Commission on the Future of Higher Education and additionally served on various boards, including the

Thomas Jefferson Foundation The Thomas Jefferson Foundation, originally known as the Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation, is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation founded in 1923 to purchase and maintain Monticello, the primary plantation of Thomas Jefferson, the third ...

, the

Kansas City Symphony The Kansas City Symphony (KCS) is an American symphony orchestra based in Kansas City, Missouri. The orchestra is resident at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The orchestra performs a 42-week season, and is also the accompanying o ...

, the

Black Archives of Mid-America The Black Archives of Mid-America also known as BAMA is a learning and research center located in Kansas City, Missouri, focused on the African American experience in the central Midwest. History The Black Archives of Mid-America is an archive th ...

, and acted as founding chairman of the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival. Under his leadership the Kansas City Public Library received the 2008

National Medal for Museum and Library Service The National Medal for Museum and Library Service is an award given annually by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to American libraries and museums with outstanding service to their communities. The IMLS refers to the medal as " ...

, awarded to American libraries and museums with outstanding service to their communities.

Biography

The son of

R. Crosby Kemper Jr. Rufus Crosby Kemper Jr. (February 22, 1927 – January 2, 2014) was an American banker and philanthropist. Career Kemper was born into an influential banking and railroading family in Kansas City, Missouri. His father was Rufus Crosby Kemper S ...

and Cynthia Warrick Kemper, he was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, then attended

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andov ...

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

, and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. His wife was the historian and Yale University professor

María Rosa Menocal María Rosa Menocal (April 9, 1953 – October 15, 2012) was a Cuban-born scholar of medieval culture and history and Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. She later went on to win the Mellon and Guggenheim Fellowship for Humanities ...

. He later married Deborah Sandler, general director and CEO of Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

Director of the IMLS

In November 2019, Kemper was nominated by

President Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

to serve as the director of the

(IMLS), the primary source of federal support for US libraries and museums. The nomination was supported by the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

, followed by a January 9, 2020, confirmation in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

for a term of four years. In July 2023, a joint letter from Senators

Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (; born May 28, 1971) is an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat serving since 2025 as the 72nd United States Secretary of State, United States secretary of state. A member of the Republican Party (United States) , Rep ...

Mike Braun Michael Braun (born March 24, 1954) is an American businessman and politician serving as the 52nd governor of Indiana since 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he served from 2019 to 2025 as a United States senator from Indiana and from 2 ...

and

Kevin Cramer Kevin John Cramer (born January 21, 1961) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator for North Dakota since 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he represented North Dakota's at-large congressional district ...

was sent to Crosby, urging him to defund the American Library Association due to what they characterized as "actively discriminating" against Brave Books, a publisher of children's books affiliated with actor and Christian activist

Kirk Cameron Kirk Thomas Cameron (born October 12, 1970) is an American actor, author, Evangelism, evangelist, television host, documentarian and producer. He first gained fame as a teen actor playing Mike Seaver on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC si ...

.https://www.rubio.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/07.28.23-Rubio-et-al-Letter-to-IMLS-re-religious-discrimination.pdf

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kemper, Crosby, III American business executives American librarians Businesspeople from Kansas City, Missouri Kemper family Living people People educated at Eton College Yale University alumni 1951 births