General William Harrison Kemper papers

General William Harrison Kemper, M.D., was born in Rush County, Indiana, on December 16, 1839. He was raised on his family’s farm and educated at the local common school. In 1856, he attended a seminary in Greensburg, Indiana, but soon moved to Montezuma, Iowa, where he was employed as a clerk in a dry goods store. A year later he took a job in a printing office. In 1859, Kemper returned to Indiana to continue his education. He decided to pursue a career in medicine and studied in the office of Dr. John W. Moodey until the outbreak of the Civil War.

Kemper enlisted in Company B of the 7th Indiana Volunteers on April 24, 1861 and served for three months as a private. In September 1861, he reenlisted and was appointed hospital steward of the 17th Indiana Volunteers. He was later promoted to assistant surgeon of the same regiment, and served until his term of service expired in July 1864. During the war, Kemper’s regiment was involved in numerous battles, including Chattanooga, Chickamagua, Missionary Ridge, and Kenesaw Mountain.

During the winter of 1864-1865, Kemper attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan for additional medical training. In the spring of 1865, he attended Long Island College Hospital in Brooklyn, New York, and graduated from there that same year. In late 1865, Kemper settled in Muncie and established a medical practice. In 1872 he formed a partnership with Dr. Robert Winton, and later with Dr. Hugh A. Cowing. Along with his practice, Dr. Kemper served as Delaware County coroner (1870-1875), as examining surgeon for pensions (1872-1893), and in various other local and state medical positions. Dr. Kemper also published numerous papers and articles on a variety of medical subjects. In addition to his medical career, Dr. Kemper was also an avid local historian. In 1908, he published a comprehensive two-volume work on the history of Delaware County. Dr. Kemper was married August 15, 1865, to Harriet “Hattie” Kemper (1844-1914) of Oskaloosa, Iowa. They had three children, including two sons who went on to practice medicine in Delaware County. A distinguished and well-respected citizen of Muncie, Kemper was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and an earnest advocate of temperance reform. He died on September 26, 1927.