Harris L. Kempner

Harris Leon Kempner (1903-1987) was an American businessman and philanthropist from Texas. While leading family business interests in cotton and sugar, he supported urban renewal and anti-poverty efforts in Galveston, Texas.

Kempner was born to Isaac Herbert Kempner and Henrietta Blum Kempner in Galveston, Texas on October 3, 1903. After attending public schools in Galveston, he completed his secondary education at the Morristown School in Morristown, New Jersey in 1920. Kempner then graduated cum laude from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Following his lead, his younger brother, businessman Isaac Herbert Kempner Jr., later graduated from both schools. In 1924, Kempner completed his postgraduate studies at the Sorbonne in Paris, France. During his studies, he served as the manager of the Harvard Crimson golf team. He also played on the tennis team.

Kempner chaired the Board of Directors of Imperial Sugar, the family sugar business. His long-term engagement in the H. L. Kempner Company, the family cotton company founded by his grandfather, began when he graduated from college. For several decades, Kempner helped lead activities at the company focused on the export of cotton to worldwide companies; recognizing his efforts, he rose to the position of president.

During his career, Kempner held leadership positions in the cotton industry at the national, state, and regional levels. He served as the president and vice president of the American Cotton Shippers Association. Through these roles, Greene advocated in Washington D.C. for efforts to free cotton distribution from above-market non-recourse government loans. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Galveston Cotton Exchange, the Texas Cotton Exchange, and the New Orleans Cotton Exchange. While serving as the Galveston Cotton Exchange's president, Green advocated for changes in U.S. tariff policies. He expressed a belief that the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act was fueling economic decline.

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