Jack Kemp

Jack French Kemp (July 13, 1935 – May 2, 2009) was an American politician, professional football player, and U.S. Army veteran who served as the ninth secretary of housing and urban development under President George H. W. Bush from 1989 to 1993. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served nine terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1971 to 1989. He was the party's vice presidential nominee in the 1996 presidential election, running alongside presidential nominee Bob Dole; they lost to Democratic incumbents Bill Clinton and Al Gore. Kemp had previously contended for the presidential nomination in the 1988 Republican primaries. Before entering politics, Kemp briefly played in the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL) but became a star in the American Football League (AFL). He served as a captain of both the Los Angeles / San Diego Chargers and the Buffalo Bills, earning the AFL Most Valuable Player award in 1965 after leading the Bills to a second consecutive championship. He played in the AFL for all 10 years of its existence, appeared in its All-Star game seven times, played in its championship game five times, and set many of the league's career passing records. Kemp also co-founded the AFL Players Association, for which he served five terms as president. During his early football career, he served in the United States Army Reserve. As an economic conservative, Kemp advocated low taxes and supply-side policies during his political career. His positions spanned the social spectrum, ranging from his conservative opposition to abortion to his more libertarian stances advocating immigration reform. As a proponent of both Chicago school and supply-side economics, he is notable as an influence upon Ronald Reagan's political agenda and the architect of the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, which...