Evan Kemp
{{Short description|American disability rights activist}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Evan Kemp
| image = Kemp-full.jpg
| caption = Kemp in 1990
| office = Chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
| term_start = {{start date|1990|03|08}}
| term_end = {{end date|1993|04|02}}
| president = George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton
| predecessor = Clarence Thomas
| successor = Tony Gallegos (acting)
| office2 = Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
| term_start2 = {{start date|1987|06|19}}
| term_end2 = {{start date|1993|04|02}}
| president2 = Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
Bill Clinton
| predecessor2 = William Arthur Webb
| birth_date = {{birth date|1937|05|05}}
| birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1997|08|12|1937|05|05}}
| death_place = Washington, D.C., U.S.
| party = Republican
| spouse = Janine Bertram
| education = Washington and Lee University (BA)
University of Virginia (LLB)
}}
Evan Jennings Kemp, Jr. (May 5, 1937 – August 12, 1997) was an American disability rights activist who served as chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from 1990 to 1993.
Biography
Kemp was born on May 5, 1937, in New York City and grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He received his B.A. degree from Washington and Lee University in 1959 and his LL.B. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1964.{{Cite web |date=1987-03-10 |title=Nomination of Evan J. Kemp, Jr., To Be a Member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission |url=https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/nomination-evan-j-kemp-jr-be-member-equal-employment-opportunity-commission |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=Reagan Library |language=en}} Throughout his early life, he had difficulty walking, and he would noticeably lurch when he did so. In 1971, his leg was severely fractured when a garage door slammed down on it, rendering it completely impossible for him to walk, leading him to use a wheelchair.
Kemp served as executive director of the Disability Rights Center from 1980 until 1987, when he was appointed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) by then-President Ronald Reagan to succeed William Arthur Webb. He was confirmed to the EEOC During the next three years, Kemp played a significant role in helping to draft the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.{{Cite news |last=Jr |first=Robert Mcg Thomas |date=1997-08-14 |title=Evan J. Kemp Jr., 60, Champion of Disabled |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/14/us/evan-j-kemp-jr-60-champion-of-disabled.html |access-date=2023-01-11 |issn=0362-4331}} In February 1989, shortly after Reagan's Vice President George H. W. Bush had taken office as president, Kemp stated that Bush had told him that he was Bush's preferred candidate to become the new United States Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division.{{Cite news |date=1989-02-14 |title=EEOC commissioner says he's favorite for rights chief |language=en |work=UPI |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/02/14/EEOC-commissioner-says-hes-favorite-for-rights-chief/8462603435600/ |access-date=2023-01-11}}
In the fall of 1989, Bush chose Kemp to be the new chairman of the EEOC, and Kemp assumed this role on March 8, 1990, replacing Clarence Thomas.{{Cite book |last=Commission |first=United States Equal Employment Opportunity |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HOBYAAAAYAAJ |title=Annual Report |date=1989 |publisher=Equal Employment Opportunity Commission |pages=1 |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Hey |first=Robert P. |date=1990-02-26 |title=EEOC Should Break 'Glass Ceiling' |work=Christian Science Monitor |url=https://www.csmonitor.com/1990/0226/froof.html |access-date=2023-01-11 |issn=0882-7729}} As chairman of the EEOC, Kemp was greatly involved in the drafting of the final rules of the Americans with Disabilities Act when it took effect in 1992. Kemp remained chairman of the EEOC until April 2, 1993, when he resigned the position; he had announced his resignation on March 26, 1993, in a letter to President Bill Clinton.{{Cite news |date=1993-03-27 |title=EEOC Chairman Submits Resignation to Clinton |language=en-US |work=Los Angeles Times |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-03-27-mn-15830-story.html |access-date=2023-01-11}}
Kemp died on August 12, 1997, at a hospital near his home in Washington, D.C. His cause of death was not immediately known, but his wife, Janine Bertram, stated at the time that it was unrelated to Kugelberg-Welander disease, which he had had since the age of 12.
References
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Category:Chairs of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Category:American disability rights activists
Category:Washington and Lee University alumni
Category:University of Virginia School of Law alumni
Category:Equal Employment Opportunity Commission members
Category:George H. W. Bush administration personnel
Category:American activists with disabilities
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