15 Facts About Jackson Kemper

Bishop Kemper founded Nashotah House and Racine College in Wisconsin, and from 1859 until his death served as the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Wisconsin.

Jackson Kemper 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.

Particularly interested in evangelism, Jackson Kemper even persuaded his elderly mentor to make a missionary journey to western Pennsylvania during which he founded St Matthew's Episcopal Church in Wheeling, West Virginia.

Since most clergy who had lived all their lives in the settled East were slow to respond to his call to join him on the frontier, Jackson Kemper determined to recruit priests from among men already in the West.

Jackson Kemper established a training college in St Louis, Missouri, for that purpose, which failed in 1845 for lack of funding.

Jackson Kemper went on to found Nashotah House in 1842 and Racine College in Wisconsin.

Jackson Kemper founded the mission parish that became All Saints Cathedral in Milwaukee.

Jackson Kemper constantly urged outreach to the Native American peoples, and translations of the Scriptures and the services of the Church into their languages.

Jackson Kemper was regularly invited to the Oneida reservation at Duck Creek by chief Daniel Bread.

Jackson Kemper ordained a Native American, Enmegahbowh, of the Ottawa tribe as a deacon in 1859.

Jackson Kemper supported the Oxford Movement, although he maintained the importance of separation from the Roman Catholic Church.

Jackson Kemper ordained James De Koven as a priest in 1855, and supported Benjamin Onderdonk during his trial.

In 1846 Jackson Kemper purchased a property adjacent to Nashotah House where he lived the rest of his life.

From 1847 until 1854, Jackson Kemper 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.

Jackson Kemper 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.