Kemp, Jack French (1935-2009), became an important American political leader after a career as a professional football player. He was the Republican candidate for vice president of the United States in 1996. Kemp and his presidential running mate, Robert Dole, were defeated by their Democratic opponents, President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore.
Kemp was born on July 13, 1935, in Los Angeles. He attended Occidental College in that city. A quarterback, he played on Occidental’s varsity football team for three years. He graduated and became a professional player in 1957. Kemp played for several professional teams. But his best success came with the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League, from 1962 until his retirement in 1969. Kemp helped organize the league’s players association and was the association’s president from 1965 to 1970.
Kemp was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1970 and was reelected eight times. His district covered part of Erie County, New York—including suburbs of Buffalo. In the House, Kemp attracted national attention for coauthoring the Kemp-Roth bill with Senator William V. Roth, Jr., of Delaware. The bill formed the basis of the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, which cut individual income tax rates 25 percent over three years. Kemp helped popularize the term supply-side economics. He and other supporters of the supply-side theory believe tax-rate reductions encourage savings and investments and therefore stimulate production and national economic growth.
Kemp was an unsuccessful candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1988. From 1989 to 1993, Kemp was secretary of housing and urban development in President George H. W. Bush’s Cabinet. As secretary, he promoted enterprise zones to try to improve economic conditions in poor urban areas. Businesses in enterprise zones receive tax cuts and freedom from such regulations as zoning laws. In 1993, after leaving the Cabinet, Kemp cofounded Empower America, a center for research and study dedicated to conservative principles and ideas. Kemp died on May 2, 2009.
