Bolivar E. Kemp
Encyclopedia
Bolivar Edwards Kemp, Sr. (December 28, 1871, St. Helena Parish
, Louisiana
– June 19, 1933, Amite, Louisiana), was an attorney and a member of the United States House of Representatives
from Louisiana's 6th congressional district
.
Kemp earned a law degree from Louisiana State University
in 1897 and began practicing law in Amite, the seat of Tangipahoa Parish
, one of the Florida Parishes
east of Baton Rouge
. In 1910, he was appointed a member of the LSU Board of Supervisors.
Kemp, a Democrat
, won the 1924 primary election for the 6th District seat and was unopposed in the general election
. He ran unopposed in 1926, 1928, and 1930, and defeated two primary opponents to win a fifth term in 1932. He worked for passage of Mississippi River
flood-control legislation.
On June 19, 1933, Bolivar Kemp died unexpectedly of a heart attack
at his home in Amite three weeks after the similar death of his brother and law partner, William Breed Kemp, Jr. His seat ordinarily would have been filled through a special primary and general election in 1934. In early December 1933, however, Governor Oscar K. Allen
declared that a special general ballot would be held eight days from the date of his announcement, and named Kemp's widow, Esther Edwards "Lallie" Conner Kemp, as the "unopposed" Democratic nominee. Many voters rallied to protest the announcement, and ballots were destroyed or burned in several locations within the district. After state election officials declared Lallie Kemp the winner of the special election, a committee of citizens staged a "revolt election", won by Jared Y. Sanders, Jr.
In January 1934, Kemp and Sanders presented their competing claims to the House. The House Elections Committee
refused to seat either candidate, and the full House approved the committee report by voice vote. Lallie Kemp declined to run in the subsequent special election in April 1934, won by Sanders.
Kemp's son, Bolivar Edwards Kemp, Jr.
, was Attorney General of Louisiana from 1948-1952, having served between the two terms of Fred S. LeBlanc
of Baton Rouge
.
Bolivar E. Kemp was Episcopalian
. He is interred beside his wife and son at Amite Cemetery.
St. Helena Parish, Louisiana
St. Helena Parish is a parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Greensburg. As of 2000, its population was 10,525.St. Helena Parish is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Baton Rouge–Pierre Part Combined Statistical Area.-History:For the past...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
– June 19, 1933, Amite, Louisiana), was an attorney and a member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Louisiana's 6th congressional district
Louisiana's 6th congressional district
Louisiana's 6th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located in south-central Louisiana, the district contains the state capital of Baton Rouge and its suburbs and the western half of the Florida Parishes and areas west and south of Baton Rouge...
.
Kemp earned a law degree from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in 1897 and began practicing law in Amite, the seat of Tangipahoa Parish
Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
Tangipahoa Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, one of the Florida Parishes. The parish seat is Amite City, but the major city is Hammond. As of 2006, the population was 113,137...
, one of the Florida Parishes
Florida Parishes
The Florida Parishes , also known as the North Shore region, are eight parishes in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana, which were part of West Florida in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Unlike much of Louisiana, this region was not part of the Louisiana Purchase, as it had been...
east of Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
. In 1910, he was appointed a member of the LSU Board of Supervisors.
Kemp, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, won the 1924 primary election for the 6th District seat and was unopposed in the general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
. He ran unopposed in 1926, 1928, and 1930, and defeated two primary opponents to win a fifth term in 1932. He worked for passage of Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
flood-control legislation.
On June 19, 1933, Bolivar Kemp died unexpectedly of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at his home in Amite three weeks after the similar death of his brother and law partner, William Breed Kemp, Jr. His seat ordinarily would have been filled through a special primary and general election in 1934. In early December 1933, however, Governor Oscar K. Allen
Oscar K. Allen
Oscar Kelly Allen, Sr. , also known as O. K. Allen, was the 42nd Governor of Louisiana from 1932 to 1936. He was a key lieutenant in the political machine of Huey Pierce Long, Jr., that dominated the state during the first half of the 1930s...
declared that a special general ballot would be held eight days from the date of his announcement, and named Kemp's widow, Esther Edwards "Lallie" Conner Kemp, as the "unopposed" Democratic nominee. Many voters rallied to protest the announcement, and ballots were destroyed or burned in several locations within the district. After state election officials declared Lallie Kemp the winner of the special election, a committee of citizens staged a "revolt election", won by Jared Y. Sanders, Jr.
Jared Y. Sanders, Jr.
Jared Young Sanders, Jr. , was a prominent Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, the Louisiana State Senate, and the United States House of Representatives, perhaps best known for his conservative opposition to legendary Governor and U.S...
In January 1934, Kemp and Sanders presented their competing claims to the House. The House Elections Committee
United States House Committee on Elections
The United States House Committee on Elections is a former standing committee of the United States House of Representatives.Article 1, section 5, of the Constitution of the United States specifies: "Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns, and Qualifications of its own Members." The...
refused to seat either candidate, and the full House approved the committee report by voice vote. Lallie Kemp declined to run in the subsequent special election in April 1934, won by Sanders.
Kemp's son, Bolivar Edwards Kemp, Jr.
Bolivar Edwards Kemp, Jr.
Bolivar Edwards Kemp, Jr. , was the Democratic attorney general of the U.S. state of Louisiana from 1948–1952 during the administration of Governor Earl Kemp Long. He was allied with the Long faction in state politics....
, was Attorney General of Louisiana from 1948-1952, having served between the two terms of Fred S. LeBlanc
Fred S. LeBlanc
Frederick Saugrain LeBlanc, Sr., known as Fred S. LeBlanc , was a 20th century politician in the U.S. state of Louisiana who served two terms as his state's attorney general and was firmly allied with the anti-Long faction of the predominant Democratic Party.-Background:LeBlanc graduated in 1916...
of Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
.
Bolivar E. Kemp was Episcopalian
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
. He is interred beside his wife and son at Amite Cemetery.
External links
- Obituary, Ponchatoula Enterprise, June 23, 1933, TIMETime (magazine)Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Dec. 18, 1933 - New York Times obituary, June 20, 1933 (subscription required)
- "Louisiana Contest Up in House Today", New York Times, Jan. 3, 1934 (subscription required)
- "House Upholds Ban on Louisiana Seat", New York Times, Jan. 30, 1934 (subscription required)
- "Quits Louisiana Race", New York Times, March 19, 1934 (subscription required)