HON. JACOB B. KEMERER, Burgess and
practicing attorney, is engaged in the real-estate and insurance
business, being a member of the firm of Woller & Kemerer, the
largest and most extensive real-estate firm in Bethlehem. He is
a native of Center Valley, Lehigh County, his father being
Benjamin Kemerer, a merchant by occupation, who moved to
Philadelphia with his family when his son was quite young. The
family came from Germany, our subject’s grandfather, Jacob,
being one of the early settlers of this region. Our subject’s
father was a merchant at Center Valley, then removed to
Freemansburg, and was engaged in transportation on the Lehigh
Canal, in boat building and in manufacturing rope.
Benjamin Kemerer became a resident of
Philadelphia in 1848, where he became a member of the firm of
Rex, Kemerer & Co., one of the leading stores in the city at
that time and continued to do business until 1858. He then went
to New York City, where he was engaged in merchandising on
commission, and also in the transportation line. His death
occurred in Philadelphia in 1882, when he was sixty-six years of
age. He was a member of the Lutheran Church, and was a
Republican in politics. His wife, Mary (Bachman) Kemerer, was
born in Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, and came of a good
family of that district. Mrs. Kemerer died in 1867, leaving
three children, of whom Sarah died in Philadelphia; our subject
is next in order of birth, and Albert H., a member of the firm
of Dickie & Co., is engaged in the real-estate business in
Pittsburg.
The birth of J. B. Kemerer occurred
December 21, 1844, and his education was mainly acquired in the
public and high schools of Philadelphia, from the latter of
which he graduated in 1861. He then came to Bethlehem, where he
pursued a course of legal studies with U. J. Wenner, and in 1876
was admitted to the Bar. Prior to this he had been engaged for
three or four years with the firm of H. B. Claflin & Co., the
largest wholesale house in New York. Since being admitted to
the Bar, Mr. Kemerer has continued in active practice at his
present location, and has been very successful. IN 1887 he
formed a partnership with Clarence A. Wolle in the real-estate
and fire insurance business, and has made a specialty of
commercial law and the examination of records. With others he
projected and laid out the west side addition to West Bethlehem,
a tract of fifty or sixty acres, and has done much for the town
in which he dwells. Moreover, he laid out forty acres of North
Bethlehem, and it is mainly due to this firm that the Boston
capitalists who control the excellent electric railway system
connecting Allentown, Catasauqua, Bethlehem and South Bethlehem,
were induced to invest their money there.
As a Democrat, Mr. Kemerer has done a
good service to his party, and in 1889 his prominence led to his
election as Burgess of Bethlehem, to which office he was
re-elected the following two years. From 1880 to 1889 he
represented the Third Ward in the City Council, and for the last
two years was President of the same. He served on the Highway
and Street and Water Supply Committees, and was Chairman of the
Street, Police and Law Committees. Under his influence, and
during the last year he served in the Council, macadamizing was
begun on Main Street, and later other improvements were
introduced. At the present time he is a member of the State
Central Democratic Committee from Northampton County. At the
spring election of 1894, Mr. Kemerer was again elected to the
office of Chief Burgess for a term of three years.
In this city, in 1865, J. B. Kemerer
married Miss Amanda J. Seem, daughter of Joseph Seem, who was a
farmer by occupation. Mrs. Kemerer was born near Bethlehem, and
by her marriage has become the mother of one son, Albert G., who
is engaged in business with his father in the insurance
department. The residence of the family is located on North
Main Street, and both Mr. Kemerer and his wife are members of
the Presbyterian Church.