Jack kemp - Biography

Former Congressman and 1996 Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Jack Kemp is a nationally renowned political leader and commentator offering innovative solutions on issues ranging from tax policy to urban development. He co-founded Empower America and served as a Co-Director of from 1993 to 2004, and will continue to serve as one of three Chairmen at FreedomWorks.

Jack Kemp graduated from Occidental College in 1957 and became one of professional football's top quarterbacks, leading the Buffalo Bills to league championships in 1964 and 1965. During his football career, Mr. Kemp was captain of the San Diego Chargers and the Buffalo Bills, and he was named the AFL’s Most Valuable Player. Mr. Kemp also founded the AFL Players Association and was elected its president five times.

After retiring from professional football in 1970, Mr. Kemp was elected to Congress and served nine consecutive terms. A passionate advocate for the broad application of conservative principles, Congressman Kemp broke ranks with many of his House colleagues by vigorously supporting civil-rights legislation and tax incentives for economic development in poor urban areas. He also served for seven years in the Republican Leadership as Chairman of the House of Republican Conference.

Mr. Kemp ran for the Republican Presidential nomination in 1988, and his principled campaign resulted in his appointment as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in the George Bush Administration, where he helped restore an agency long tainted by scandal and mismanagement. Secretary Kemp drove the creation of successful Enterprise Zones legislation to encourage entrepreneurship, home ownership, and job creation in urban America .

When he left the first Bush Administration, Secretary Kemp became the co-director of Empower America , a public policy and advocacy organization he co-founded in 1993 with Dr. William Bennett and former U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick. Secretary Kemp also served as chairman of the National Commission on Economic Growth and Tax Reform in 1995, which produced widely acclaimed recommendations for reform of the U.S. tax code. His accomplishments and reputation for broad-minded leadership earned him the Republican nomination for Vice President of the United States in 1996, forming the Dole-Kemp ticket.

In 2000, Jack Kemp began writing a national syndicated column for the Copley News Service and is a regular television news commentator and contributor. He also serves as global chairman of the More Than Houses Campaign for Habitat for Humanity International, and is on the boards of numerous Internet and technology companies.