Isaac Herbert Kempner
| Isaac Herbert Kempner | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 14, 1873 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | July 31, 1967 (aged 94) |
| Known for | Founder of Imperial Sugar Mayor of Galveston (1917–1919) |
| Spouse(s) | Henrietta Blum (1902-death) |
| Children | 5 |
Isaac Herbert Kempner (January 14, 1873 – August 1, 1967) was the founder of the Imperial Sugar Corporation and mayor of Galveston, Texas.
Kempner was born in 1873 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father was a Polish Jewish immigrant and his mother was from the German Jewish Seinnheiser 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.
In 1905, Kempner and fellow Galveston businessman William Lewis Moody Jr., established the American National Insurance Company; 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 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.
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