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{{Short description|American political activist (1941–2005)}}
⚫ '''Richard Penn Kemble''' (January 21, 1941 — October 15, 2005), commonly known as "Penn," was an American ] and a founding member of ]. He supported ] and democracy in the USA and internationally, and so was active in the civil rights movement, the labor movement, and the social-democratic opposition to communism. He founded organizations including ], ], and ]. Kemble was appointed to various government boards and institutions throughout the 1990s, eventually becoming the Acting Director of the ] under President ].
]
⚫ '''Richard Penn Kemble''' (January 21, 1941 – October 15, 2005), commonly known as "Penn," was an American ] and a founding member of ]. He supported ] and ]s in the USA and internationally, and so was active in the ], the ], and the ] opposition to ]. He founded organizations including ] and ], and he served as director of the Committee for Democracy in Central America. Kemble was appointed to various government boards and institutions throughout the 1990s, eventually becoming the Acting Director of the ] under President ].


==Biography== ==Biography==
===Early years=== ===Early years===
Penn Kemble was born in ] in 1941 and grew up in ].<ref name="Holley" >{{Cite news|title=Political activist Penn Kemble dies at&nbsp;64|first=Joe|last=Holley|
newspaper=Washington Post |date=October 19, 2005 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/18/AR2005101801743_pf.html}}</ref><ref name="times">{{Cite news|newspaper=]|title=Penn&nbsp;Kemble: Dapper Democratic Party activist whose influence extended across the spectrum of US politics (21&nbsp;January&nbsp;1941 – 15&nbsp;October&nbsp;2005)|date=October 31, 2005|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article584709.ece}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> He studied at the ] in the early 1960s, where he helped to organize a local branch of the ], the youth section of the ].<ref name="Holley"/> While at the University of Colorado, Kemble was influenced by the thinking of Alex Garber, a professor of ], who was a ]ic ].<ref name="Muravchik">{{cite journal|first=Joshua|last=Muravchik|author-link=Joshua Muravchik|url=http://www.aei.org/article/23700|title=Comrades|journal=|date=1 January 2006|access-date=15 June 2007}}</ref>


After moving to New York, Kemble stood out as a neatly dressed, muscular Protestant youth, in an urban political setting that was predominantly Catholic and Jewish. He worked at '']'' but was fired for refusing to cross a ] during a typesetters' ].<ref name="Holley"/> A leader in the East River chapter of the ], Kemble helped to organize a non-violent ] of the ] during rush hour, to raise consciousness among ]s of the lives of Harlem residents.<ref name="Holley"/>
Penn Kemble was born in ] in 1941 and grew up in ]. He studied at the ] in the early 1960s, where he helped set up a local branch of the ], youth section of the ].

While at the University of Colorado, Kemble was influenced by the thinking of Alex Garber, a professor of ] who espoused ] domestic political views while maintaining a hardline anti-Communist view of foreign affairs.<ref name="Muravchik">Joshua Muravchik, ''Commentary'', January 1, 2006.</ref> Kemble later did graduate work at the ] and ].<ref name="Neocon"> ''Washington Times'', October 18, 2005.</ref> His first job was at the '']'', but was fired for refusing to cross a ] during a typesetters' ].<ref name="Holley">Joe Holley, "", '']'', October 19, 2005</ref>


===Political career=== ===Political career===
From the middle 1960s, Kemble was active in the youth section of the Socialist Party of America, the ] (YPSL). In the Party, Kemble's realignment caucus attained majority of the votes in 1968. His caucus included Paul Feldman, editor of the party paper '']'' and ], chief of the ].<ref name="Muravchik" /> Kemble was elected as the National Chairman of the YPSL, thereby becoming an ] member of the National Committee of the Socialist Party.<ref name=Elects>"NC Calls for Action on Equal Rights; Rebuffs P&F Party; Elects New Officers," ''New America'' , vol. 7, no. 16 (July 29, 1968), pg. 6.</ref> Following its July 1968 National Convention the governing National Committee elected Kemble the new National Secretary of the Socialist Party, replacing ].<ref name=Elects /> He was also active in the ].<ref name="Holley" />


Kemble was Executive Secretary of the ] from 1968-1970.<ref name="Ross2015">{{cite book|last=Ross|first=Jack|title=The Socialist Party of America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fud1BwAAQBAJ|access-date=14 March 2016|date=2015-04-15|publisher=U of Nebraska Press|isbn=9781612347509|page=604}}</ref>
From the middle 1960s, Kemble was active in the activities of the Socialist Party of America's national youth section. With the radicals who controlled the YPSL in the early 1960s departed from the SPA for the burgeoning ], Kemble was left to head a reorganization of the YPSL by what his colleague ] characterized as a "rump of right-wingers."<ref name="Muravchik" /> Kemble formed part of a triumvirate of social democratic leaders which shifted the Socialist Party to the right in the second half of the 1960s, working closely with Paul Feldman, editor of the party paper ''],'' and ], chief of the ], in moving the SPA to a more fierce sort of anti-Communism.<ref name="Muravchik" />
Kemble was a founder of ], a group which called for an end to the bombing of ] and a negotiated settlement of the ]. He was opposed to a unilateral withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam.<ref name="Holley" /> In 1972, Kemble organized a protest of the ], featuring a ] of 76 Vietnamese. Kemble's protest infuriated its master of ceremonies, ].<ref>{{harv|Cameron|2007|p=6}}</ref>


⚫ In 1972, Kemble was a founder the ] (CDM), an association of centrist Democrats that opposed the "new politics" liberalism exemplified by ] ], who suffered the worst defeat of a Presidential candidate in modern times, despite the widespread dislike of Nixon.<ref name="times"/> Kemble was Executive Director of CDM from 1972–76, at which time he left to become a special assistant and speechwriter for Senator ].<ref name="Holley" /> He remained with Moynihan until 1979.
Despite his anti-Communist proclivities, Kemble was a founder of ], a group which called for an end to the bombing of ] and a negotiated settlement of the ].<ref name="Holley" /> He was also active in the ].<ref name="Holley" />


Concerned about the direct and indirect role of the ] and of sympathizers of ] politics in the US Peace Movement and in the ], Kemble helped found the ].
⚫ In 1972, Kemble was a founder the ] (CDM), an organized faction and pressure group which sought to do battle with the "new politics" liberals exemplified by ] ].<ref name="times">"", '']'', October 31, 2005</ref> Kemble was Executive Director of CDM from 1972-76, at which time he left to become a special assistant and speechwriter for Senator ].<ref name="Holley" /> He remained with Moynihan until 1979.


From 1981 until 1988 was the President of the ] (PRODEMCA), which criticized Marxist–Leninists in ], especially the ]s in Nicaragua and the ] in ];<ref name="Holley" /><ref name="times" /> PRODEMCA was also referred to as "Friends of the Democratic Center in Central America".<ref>{{harv|Cameron|2007|p=}}</ref> PRODEMCA channelled funds from the ] to opposition groups in Nicaragua and lobbied for military aid to the contras by taking out full-page newspaper ads and contacting members of Congress.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blumenthal |first1=Sidney |title=Pro-Contra Group Gives Tours of Bases |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/08/08/pro-contra-group-gives-tours-of-bases/a7ac4438-0e49-4651-bdde-a81c78508318/ |website=Washington Post |access-date=31 July 2024 |date=8 August 1986}}</ref> Kemble lobbied Congress to support the ] President of ] ], during the ]; he also argued that Congress should fund the ], who were then engaged in an armed campaign against the Sandinistas, to pressure the Sandinistas to negotiate a peace treaty with more guarantees for the civic opposition. In his support of Congressional funding of the Contras, Kemble was one of the "]" of prominent social-democrats or opponents of the Vietnam War;<ref>"Gang of Four" ironically referred to the China's ], who sought a revival of ].</ref> a second was a former antagonist during the Vietnam War, Bruce Cameron, and the others were ] and ]. The Gang of Four differed from the Reagan Administration on some questions. For example, they supported efforts to transfer control of Contra funding from the CIA and Department of Defense to the ]'s ]; they also supported negotiations opposed by Reagan Administration "hard-liners" who wished to defeat the Sandinistas, according to Cameron.<ref>{{harv|Cameron|2007}}</ref> Kemble's 1980s Central American politics were unpopular among liberals and democratic socialists in the Democratic Party.<ref name="Holley"/>
==Anti-communism==
Fiercely opposed to the Soviet Union and to ], he helped found the ] and from 1981 until 1988 was the President of the ] (PRODEMCA), which opposed the ]s and related groups in ].<ref name="times" /><ref name="Holley" />


In 1991, Kemble was appointed to the ] by ] ].<ref name="Neocon" /> He also became the ] representative of ]. However, as a supporter of the ], he refused to accept any official position in the first Bush administration.<ref name="times" />


A private group that channeled U.S. government funds to opposition groups in Nicaragua and lobbied for military aid to the contras is offering free tours of contra base camps in Honduras to selected travelers.
During the administration of President ], Kemble served as the Acting Director of the ].<ref name="Neocon" /> He was also made a special representative of ] ] to the ].<ref name="Neocon" />

He supported the Bill Clinton's campaign for the Presidency. During the ], Kemble served first in 1993 as the Deputy Director and then in 1999 as Acting Director of the ].<ref name="Holley"/><ref name="times"/> He was also made a special representative of ] ] to the ] initiative.<ref name="NYT">{{Cite news|title=Penn&nbsp;Kemble, 64, is dead; strove to spread democracy|first=Douglas|last=Martin|date=23 October 2005|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/23/politics/23kemble.html|newspaper=New York Times}}</ref>

In 2001, Kemble was appointed to the ] by ] ].<ref name="times" /> He also became the ] representative of ]; in his last years, he was especially involved in supporting peace efforts in the Middle East. He declined several offers of official positions in the Bush administration.<ref name="times" /> However, ] ] appointed Kemble to be the Chairman of the International Eminent Persons Group on Slavery, Abduction and Forced Servitude in ].<ref name="times" />


===Death and legacy=== ===Death and legacy===
Kemble died on October 15, 2005 at his home in Washington, D.C. after a year-long battle with ].<ref name="Neocon" /> He was 64 years old at the time of his death and was survived by a wife, two sisters, and a brother.<ref name="Neocon" /> In an obituary published in the ''Washington Post'' Kemble's friend ] of the ] observed that Kemble's ideas evolved from ] to a more mild social democracy over time, a similar rightward arc to that of many prominent ]s. Although his views on many topics matched those of the neoconservatives, Kemble stopped short of leaving the Democratic Party and never considered himself neoconservative, it was noted.<ref name="Holley" /> Kemble died on October 15, 2005, at his home in Washington, D.C. after a year-long battle with ].<ref name="Holley" /> He was 64 years old at the time of his death and was survived by his wife, two sisters, and his brother.<ref name="Holley" /> Kemble referred to himself as a social democrat throughout his life.<ref name="Holley" />


==Footnotes== ==Footnotes==
{{reflist}} {{Reflist|2}}


==References==
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. -->
* {{cite book|title=My life in the time of the Contras|first=Bruce&nbsp;P.|last=Cameron|author-link=Bruce P. Cameron|publisher=UNM Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-8263-4251-5|pages=340|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a-eB2PduzxUC&q=Jane+Fonda}}
| NAME = Kemble, Penn

| ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Kemble, Richard Penn (birthname)
==External links==
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American political activist
{{Portal|Socialism|Organized labour|Society|United States}}
| DATE OF BIRTH = January 21, 1941
* {{citation|first=Carl|last=Gershman|title=Eulogy for Penn Kemble|publisher=]|date=2 December 2005|location=Washington&nbsp;D.C.|url=http://www.ned.org/about/board/meet-our-president/archived-remarks-and-presentations/120205}}
| PLACE OF BIRTH = ], U.S.
* {{citation|title=Penn Kemble: Public diplomat|date=23 February 2006|first=Nicholas J.|last=Cull|url=http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newswire/cpdblog_detail/penn_kemble_public_diplomat/
| DATE OF DEATH = October 15, 2005
|publisher=The USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) at the Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, University of Southern California|access-date=9 October 2012}}
| PLACE OF DEATH = ], U.S.
{{Authority control}}
}}


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Latest revision as of 07:03, 2 December 2024

American political activist (1941–2005)
Penn Kemble at the time of his election as National Secretary of the Socialist Party in 1968.

Richard Penn Kemble (January 21, 1941 – October 15, 2005), commonly known as "Penn," was an American political activist and a founding member of Social Democrats, USA. He supported democracy and labor unions in the USA and internationally, and so was active in the civil rights movement, the labor movement, and the social-democratic opposition to communism. He founded organizations including Negotiations Now! and Frontlash, and he served as director of the Committee for Democracy in Central America. Kemble was appointed to various government boards and institutions throughout the 1990s, eventually becoming the Acting Director of the U.S. Information Agency under President Bill Clinton.

Biography

Early years

Penn Kemble was born in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1941 and grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He studied at the University of Colorado in the early 1960s, where he helped to organize a local branch of the Young People's Socialist League, the youth section of the Socialist Party of America. While at the University of Colorado, Kemble was influenced by the thinking of Alex Garber, a professor of sociology, who was a social democratic anti-communist.

After moving to New York, Kemble stood out as a neatly dressed, muscular Protestant youth, in an urban political setting that was predominantly Catholic and Jewish. He worked at The New York Times but was fired for refusing to cross a picket line during a typesetters' strike. A leader in the East River chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality, Kemble helped to organize a non-violent blockade of the Triborough Bridge during rush hour, to raise consciousness among suburbanites of the lives of Harlem residents.

Political career

From the middle 1960s, Kemble was active in the youth section of the Socialist Party of America, the Young People's Socialist League (YPSL). In the Party, Kemble's realignment caucus attained majority of the votes in 1968. His caucus included Paul Feldman, editor of the party paper New America and Tom Kahn, chief of the League for Industrial Democracy. Kemble was elected as the National Chairman of the YPSL, thereby becoming an ex officio member of the National Committee of the Socialist Party. Following its July 1968 National Convention the governing National Committee elected Kemble the new National Secretary of the Socialist Party, replacing George Woywod. He was also active in the Congress of Racial Equality.

Kemble was Executive Secretary of the Socialist Party of America from 1968-1970. Kemble was a founder of Negotiation Now!, a group which called for an end to the bombing of North Vietnam and a negotiated settlement of the Vietnam War. He was opposed to a unilateral withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam. In 1972, Kemble organized a protest of the Coalition for a New Foreign and Military Policy, featuring a picket line of 76 Vietnamese. Kemble's protest infuriated its master of ceremonies, Bruce P. Cameron.

In 1972, Kemble was a founder the Coalition for a Democratic Majority (CDM), an association of centrist Democrats that opposed the "new politics" liberalism exemplified by Senator George McGovern, who suffered the worst defeat of a Presidential candidate in modern times, despite the widespread dislike of Nixon. Kemble was Executive Director of CDM from 1972–76, at which time he left to become a special assistant and speechwriter for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He remained with Moynihan until 1979.

Concerned about the direct and indirect role of the Communist Party USA and of sympathizers of Marxist-Leninist politics in the US Peace Movement and in the National Council of Churches, Kemble helped found the Institute on Religion and Democracy.

From 1981 until 1988 was the President of the Committee for Democracy in Central America (PRODEMCA), which criticized Marxist–Leninists in Central America, especially the Sandinistas in Nicaragua and the FMLN in Central America; PRODEMCA was also referred to as "Friends of the Democratic Center in Central America". PRODEMCA channelled funds from the National Endowment for Democracy to opposition groups in Nicaragua and lobbied for military aid to the contras by taking out full-page newspaper ads and contacting members of Congress. Kemble lobbied Congress to support the Christian Democratic President of El Salvador José Napoleón Duarte, during the Salvadoran Civil War; he also argued that Congress should fund the Nicaraguan Contras, who were then engaged in an armed campaign against the Sandinistas, to pressure the Sandinistas to negotiate a peace treaty with more guarantees for the civic opposition. In his support of Congressional funding of the Contras, Kemble was one of the "Gang of Four" of prominent social-democrats or opponents of the Vietnam War; a second was a former antagonist during the Vietnam War, Bruce Cameron, and the others were Robert S. Leiken and Bernard W. Aronson. The Gang of Four differed from the Reagan Administration on some questions. For example, they supported efforts to transfer control of Contra funding from the CIA and Department of Defense to the Department of State's USAID; they also supported negotiations opposed by Reagan Administration "hard-liners" who wished to defeat the Sandinistas, according to Cameron. Kemble's 1980s Central American politics were unpopular among liberals and democratic socialists in the Democratic Party.


A private group that channeled U.S. government funds to opposition groups in Nicaragua and lobbied for military aid to the contras is offering free tours of contra base camps in Honduras to selected travelers.

He supported the Bill Clinton's campaign for the Presidency. During the Presidency of Bill Clinton, Kemble served first in 1993 as the Deputy Director and then in 1999 as Acting Director of the U.S. Information Agency. He was also made a special representative of Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright to the Council for a Community of Democracies initiative.

In 2001, Kemble was appointed to the Board of International Broadcasting by President George W. Bush. He also became the Washington, D.C. representative of Freedom House; in his last years, he was especially involved in supporting peace efforts in the Middle East. He declined several offers of official positions in the Bush administration. However, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell appointed Kemble to be the Chairman of the International Eminent Persons Group on Slavery, Abduction and Forced Servitude in Sudan.

Death and legacy

Kemble died on October 15, 2005, at his home in Washington, D.C. after a year-long battle with brain cancer. He was 64 years old at the time of his death and was survived by his wife, two sisters, and his brother. Kemble referred to himself as a social democrat throughout his life.

Footnotes

  1. ^ Holley, Joe (October 19, 2005). "Political activist Penn Kemble dies at 64". Washington Post.
  2. ^ "Penn Kemble: Dapper Democratic Party activist whose influence extended across the spectrum of US politics (21 January 1941 – 15 October 2005)". The Times (London). October 31, 2005.
  3. ^ Muravchik, Joshua (1 January 2006). "Comrades". Commentary Magazine. Retrieved 15 June 2007. {{cite journal}}: External link in |journal= (help)
  4. ^ "NC Calls for Action on Equal Rights; Rebuffs P&F Party; Elects New Officers," New America , vol. 7, no. 16 (July 29, 1968), pg. 6.
  5. Ross, Jack (2015-04-15). The Socialist Party of America. U of Nebraska Press. p. 604. ISBN 9781612347509. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  6. (Cameron 2007, p. 6)
  7. (Cameron 2007, p. 35)
  8. Blumenthal, Sidney (8 August 1986). "Pro-Contra Group Gives Tours of Bases". Washington Post. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  9. "Gang of Four" ironically referred to the China's Gang of Four, who sought a revival of Maoism.
  10. (Cameron 2007)
  11. Martin, Douglas (23 October 2005). "Penn Kemble, 64, is dead; strove to spread democracy". New York Times.

References

External links

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