James L. Kemper
| James L. Kemper | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 37th Governor of Virginia | |
|
In office January 1, 1874 – January 1, 1878 |
|
| Lieutenant |
Robert E. Withers Henry Wirtz Thomas |
| Preceded by | Gilbert Carlton Walker |
| Succeeded by | Frederick W. M. Holliday |
| 27th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates | |
|
In office January 8, 1861 – January 14, 1863 |
|
| Preceded by | Oscar M. Crutchfield |
| Succeeded by | Hugh W. Sheffey |
| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates | |
|
In office 1853–1865 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
June 11, 1823 Madison County, Virginia |
| Died | April 7, 1895 (aged 71) Walnut Hills, Orange County, Virginia |
| Political party |
Democratic (Before 1867, 1873-1895) Conservative Party of Virginia (1867–1873) |
| Spouse(s) | Cremora "Belle" Conway Cave (m.1855, d.1870) |
| Children | 7 |
| Alma mater | Washington College |
| Profession | Lawyer, Soldier, Politician |
| Religion |
Presbyterian until 1861 Southern Presbyterian 1861-1895 |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America Virginia Confederate States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army Confederate States Army
|
| Years of service | 1846–1848 (USA) 1861–1865 (CSA) |
| Rank |
 Captain (USV) Major General (CSA)
|
| Unit | Regiment of Virginia Volunteers (USA) |
| Commands |
7th Virginia Infantry Kemper's Brigade Kemper's Division Virginia Reserve Forces |
| Battles/wars | |
Mexican-American War
American Civil War
James Lawson Kemper (June 11, 1823 – April 7, 1895) was a lawyer, a Confederate general in the American Civil War, and the 37th Governor of Virginia. He was the youngest of the brigade commanders, and the only non-professional military officer, in the division that led Pickett's Charge, in which he was wounded and captured but rescued.
Kemper was born at Mountain Prospect plantation in Madison County, Virginia, the son of William and Maria E. Allison Kemper. His father's family had emigrated from near what became Siegen, Germany, in the early 18th century. His great-grandfather had been among the miners recruited for Governor Alexander Spotswood's colony at Germanna, Virginia, and his merchant father had moved to the new town of Madison Court House in the 1790s after his own father had died falling from a horse in 1783, leaving his widow to take care of five daughters and a son. By the time young James was born, his paternal grandmother and four aunts also lived at the plantation which William Kemper had bought for $5,541.40 in 1800. His maternal great-grandfather, Col. John Jasper Stadler, had served on George Washington's staff as a civil engineer and planned fortifications in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina during the American Revolutionary War, and his grandfather John Stadler Allison served as an officer in the War of 1812, but died when his daughter Maria was very young. Although several of his paternal ancestors were involved in the German Reformed Church, William Kemper was an elder in the local Presbyterian church and his mother was devout, but also hosted dances and parties that lasted several days. His brother, Frederick T. Kemper later founded Kemper Military School).
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Wikipedia