Jackson Kemper
Encyclopedia
Bishop Jackson Kemper was the first missionary
bishop
of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
Baptized David Jackson Kemper by Dr. Benjamin Moore
, the Assistant Rector of his parents' congregation at New York City
's Trinity Church
, he would eventually drop the given name "David." He had been born in the Hudson River
Valley of New York
, where his parents had taken temporary refuge during a smallpox
outbreak in New York City. He was the son of Col. Daniel Kemper, a former aide-de-camp to Gen. George Washington
at the battles of Germantown
and Monmouth
during the American Revolution
, and Elizabeth (Marius) Kemper, who descended from well-known families of the Dutch New Amsterdam
era.
He entered Columbia College
at the age of fifteen, where he studied theology under Dr. Henry Hobart
and graduated in 1809 as the valedictorian
of his class. Relocating to Philadelphia, he was made a deacon of the Episcopal Church in 1811 and was ordained as a priest in 1814. In 1835, the Episcopal Church undertook to consecrate missionary bishops to preach the Gospel
west of the settled areas, and Kemper was the first to be chosen. He promptly headed west. Having found that clergy who had lived all their lives in the settled East were slow to respond to his call to join him on the frontier, he determined to recruit priests from among men who were already in the West, and established a college in St. Louis
, Missouri
, for that purpose. He went on to found Nashotah House
and Racine
College in Wisconsin
, and founded the mission parish that became the Cathedral Church of All Saints
in Milwaukee
.
He constantly urged a more extensive outreach to the Native American
peoples, and translations of the Scriptures and the services of the Church into their languages. His first official act as Missionary Bishop, in what would become Wisconsin, was the laying of the cornerstone for a new frame church building for Hobart Church, Duck Creek, which served the Oneida
Indian Mission. Perhaps more significantly, the first ordinations in what would become Wisconsin were also at Hobart Church. There he ordained William Adams and James Lloyd Breck, two of his young recruits from the East who would assist him in establishing Nashotah House Seminary, on October 9, 1842. He ordained a native American, Enmegahbowh
, of the Ottawa tribe as a deacon in 1859.
Kemper supported the Oxford Movement
, although he maintained the importance of separation from the Roman Catholic Church
. He ordained James De Koven as a priest in 1855, and supported Bishop Benjamin Onderdonk during his trial. In 1846 he purchased a property adjacent to Nashotah House
and spent the rest of his life there. From 1847 until 1854, he served as Provisional Bishop of the newly formed Diocese of Wisconsin, and then served as its Diocesan Bishop from 1854 until his death in 1870. He also supported creation of a new diocese, though he did not live to see the formation of the Diocese of Fond du Lac
come to fruition. The effect of his labors covered areas far and wide.
on May 24.
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.
Baptized David Jackson Kemper by Dr. Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore
Benjamin Moore was the second Episcopal bishop of New York.-Early life and family:Moore was born in Newtown, New York, in 1748, the son of Samuel Moore and Sarah Fish Moore and the great-grandson of John Moore, the first Independent minister allowed in New England...
, the Assistant Rector of his parents' congregation at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Trinity Church
Trinity Church, New York
Trinity Church at 79 Broadway, Lower Manhattan, is a historic, active parish church in the Episcopal Diocese of New York...
, he would eventually drop the given name "David." He had been born in the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
Valley of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where his parents had taken temporary refuge during a smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
outbreak in New York City. He was the son of Col. Daniel Kemper, a former aide-de-camp to Gen. George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
at the battles of Germantown
Battle of Germantown
The Battle of Germantown, a battle in the Philadelphia campaign of the American Revolutionary War, was fought on October 4, 1777, at Germantown, Pennsylvania between the British army led by Sir William Howe and the American army under George Washington...
and Monmouth
Monmouth
Monmouth is a town in southeast Wales and traditional county town of the historic county of Monmouthshire. It is situated close to the border with England, where the River Monnow meets the River Wye with bridges over both....
during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, and Elizabeth (Marius) Kemper, who descended from well-known families of the Dutch New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam
New Amsterdam was a 17th-century Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. It later became New York City....
era.
He entered Columbia College
Columbia College of Columbia University
Columbia College is the oldest undergraduate college at Columbia University, situated on the university's main campus in Morningside Heights in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It was founded in 1754 by the Church of England as King's College, receiving a Royal Charter from King George II...
at the age of fifteen, where he studied theology under Dr. Henry Hobart
John Henry Hobart
John Henry Hobart was the third Episcopal bishop of New York .He vigorously promoted the extension of the Episcopal Church in Central and Western New York...
and graduated in 1809 as the valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of his class. Relocating to Philadelphia, he was made a deacon of the Episcopal Church in 1811 and was ordained as a priest in 1814. In 1835, the Episcopal Church undertook to consecrate missionary bishops to preach the Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
west of the settled areas, and Kemper was the first to be chosen. He promptly headed west. Having found that clergy who had lived all their lives in the settled East were slow to respond to his call to join him on the frontier, he determined to recruit priests from among men who were already in the West, and established a college in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, for that purpose. He went on to found Nashotah House
Nashotah House
Nashotah House is an Anglo-Catholic seminary of the Episcopal Church located in Nashotah, Wisconsin, approximately 30 miles from Milwaukee, in the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. The seminary opened its doors in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847...
and Racine
Racine, Wisconsin
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. According to 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the city had a population of 82,196...
College in Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, and founded the mission parish that became the Cathedral Church of All Saints
Cathedral Church of All Saints, Milwaukee
The Cathedral Church of All Saints is the bishop's church of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The current parish is a descendant of a small mission by the Right Reverend Jackson Kemper. It is located in Milwaukee's downtown Yankee Hill neighborhood.The Gothic...
in Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
.
He constantly urged a more extensive outreach to the Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
peoples, and translations of the Scriptures and the services of the Church into their languages. His first official act as Missionary Bishop, in what would become Wisconsin, was the laying of the cornerstone for a new frame church building for Hobart Church, Duck Creek, which served the Oneida
Oneida Nation of Wisconsin
The Oneida Nation of Wisconsin is an Indian reservation of the Oneida tribe on the west side of the Green Bay metropolitan area.-Demography and population:The reservation comprises portions of eastern Outagamie County and western Brown County...
Indian Mission. Perhaps more significantly, the first ordinations in what would become Wisconsin were also at Hobart Church. There he ordained William Adams and James Lloyd Breck, two of his young recruits from the East who would assist him in establishing Nashotah House Seminary, on October 9, 1842. He ordained a native American, Enmegahbowh
Enmegahbowh
Enmegahbowh was the first Native American to be ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church in the United States of America.Enmegahbowh was an Odawa from Canada who converted to Christianity from Midewiwin...
, of the Ottawa tribe as a deacon in 1859.
Kemper supported the Oxford Movement
Oxford Movement
The Oxford Movement was a movement of High Church Anglicans, eventually developing into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose members were often associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of lost Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy...
, although he maintained the importance of separation from the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He ordained James De Koven as a priest in 1855, and supported Bishop Benjamin Onderdonk during his trial. In 1846 he purchased a property adjacent to Nashotah House
Nashotah House
Nashotah House is an Anglo-Catholic seminary of the Episcopal Church located in Nashotah, Wisconsin, approximately 30 miles from Milwaukee, in the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. The seminary opened its doors in 1842 and received its official charter in 1847...
and spent the rest of his life there. From 1847 until 1854, he served as Provisional Bishop of the newly formed Diocese of Wisconsin, and then served as its Diocesan Bishop from 1854 until his death in 1870. He also supported creation of a new diocese, though he did not live to see the formation of the Diocese of Fond du Lac
Episcopal Diocese of Fond du Lac
The Diocese of Fond du Lac is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing the northeastern third of Wisconsin. The diocese contains more than 6,000 baptized members worshipping in 36 locations. It is part of Province 5 . Diocesan offices are in Appleton, Wisconsin...
come to fruition. The effect of his labors covered areas far and wide.
Veneration
Kemper is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA)Calendar of saints (Episcopal Church in the United States of America)
The veneration of saints in the Episcopal Church is a continuation of an ancient tradition from the early Church which honors important people of the Christian faith. The usage of the term "saint" is similar to Roman Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Those in the Anglo-Catholic tradition may...
on May 24.
Sources
- From the Episcopal Calendar
- Documents by and about Jackson Kemper from Project CanterburyProject CanterburyProject Canterbury is an online archive of material related to the history of Anglicanism. It was founded by Richard Mammana, Jr. in 1999, and is hosted by the non-profit Society of Archbishop Justus...
- A History of the Episcopal Church by Robert W. Prichard, (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Pub., 1999)
- The Story of a College by James DeKoven, (Middletown, Conn., 1862)
- The Catholic Movement in the American Episcopal Church by George E. DeMille, (Philadelphia: Church Historical Society, 1941)
- The Story of Nashotah by John H Egar (Milwaukee: Burdick & Armitage, 1874)
- The Life of Reverend James De Koven D.D.: Sometime Warden of Racine College by William Cox Pope, (New York: James Pott & Company, 1899)
- Apostle of the Wilderness by James Lloyd Breck, Edited by Charles Henery (Nashotah reprint, 1992)
- Anglican Faces: Jackson Kemper from The Living ChurchThe Living ChurchThe Living Church is a biweekly magazine based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin providing commentary and news information on the Episcopal Church in the United States...
, by Richard J. Mammana, Jr.