author
Louis Wiltz Kemp
1881–1956
Best remembered as a passionate guardian of Texas history, this Houston businessman turned years of spare-time research into books, monuments, and preservation work that shaped how generations learned the story of the Republic of Texas.
1 Audiobook
The Battle of San Jacinto and the San Jacinto Campaign
by Louis Wiltz Kemp, Edward W. Kilman
About the author
Born in Cameron, Texas, on September 4, 1881, Louis Wiltz Kemp studied engineering at the University of Texas from 1901 to 1903 and went on to work for the Texas Company, later Texaco. While his career was in business, his lasting reputation came from the historical research he pursued alongside it.
Kemp became one of the best-known interpreters of early Texas history in the first half of the twentieth century. He wrote or coauthored works including The Heroes of San Jacinto and The Signers of the Texas Declaration of Independence, served as president of the Texas State Historical Association from 1942 to 1946, and played a major role in the creation of the San Jacinto Monument and Museum. He also helped verify inscriptions on historical monuments and was deeply involved in Texas Centennial history projects.
He was especially known for efforts to preserve the memory of early Texans, including work connected with the Texas State Cemetery and the reburial of notable figures there. Kemp died in Houston on November 15, 1956, and was reburied in the Texas State Cemetery in Austin on May 5, 1957. His papers and Texana collection remain important resources for researchers of Texas history.