Memorable Manitobans: Herbert Douglas “Doug” Kemp (1913-1997)

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Herbert Douglas Kemp
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Educator, historian.

Born at Regina, Saskatchewan on 11 June 1913, he was raised in the Galt area of southern Ontario. During the Second World War, he was stationed in Manitoba with the Air Force Medical Corps. After the war he earned an MA degree in History and an BEd degree from the University of Manitoba. His MA thesis, written in 1950 and entitled The Department of the Interior in the West 1873-1883, is still recognized as a standard reference by scholars.

He taught in the Winnipeg School Division from 1952 until retirement in 1976, serving at Robert H. Smith School (1952-1954), River Heights School (1954-1956), Lord Selkirk School (1956-1958), and Elmwood High School (1958-1976) where he shared his keen interest in Canadian history with his students and colleagues.

On 3 January 1942, he married Mary Louise Spence (1912-1998, daughter of Robert Erastus Spence) and they had a son and two daughters. He was very active in the Manitoba Historical Society during the time of its growth in the 1950s and he served as its President (1959-1961). He worked tirelessly for many years on MHS publications such that the Manitoba Pageant and the Transactions and served on numerous committees. He remained active until illness restricted him in later years. In 1970, he was awarded a Manitoba Centennial Medal.

He died at Winnipeg on 5 September 1997 and was buried in the Chapel Lawn Memorial Gardens. The MHS created the Douglas Kemp Award in his memory, presented to a person who has made significant contributions as a volunteer to the Society.

His articles for the Manitoba Historical Society:

Land Grants Under the Manitoba Act
MHS Transactions, Series 3, Number 9, 1952-53 Season

From Postage Stamp to Keystone
Manitoba Pageant, April 1956

Stories Stamps Tell
Manitoba Pageant, September 1956

The Big Woman Befriends the Sioux
Manitoba Pageant, January 1957

The Special Survey
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 3, Number 3, April 1958

The Indian Treaties of the North West
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 5, Number 3, April 1960

The Red River Parish
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 8, Number 1, September 1962

Book Review: Cuthbert Grant of Grantown by Margaret Arnett MacLeod and William L. Morton
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 8, Number 3, April 1963

Other articles:

“The Half Breed Land Grant” Out of the Manitoba Act
Metis Historical Conference, Brandon University, 5-6 May 1977

Sources:

Marriage registration [Herbert Douglas Kemp, Mary Louise Spence], Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 9 September 1997.

Obituary [Mary Louise Kemp], Winnipeg Free Press, 29 July 1998, page C6.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 11 April 2024

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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