Kemper was born into an influential banking and railroading family in
Kansas City, Missouri. His father was
Rufus Crosby Kemper Sr. He attended
Southwest High School in Kansas City, then transferred to
Phillips Academy in
Andover, Massachusetts, where he graduated in 1945. After returning from service in
World War II, Kemper enrolled in the
University of Missouri and became a member of the
Zeta Phi chapter of
Beta Theta Pi. In 1950, Kemper went to work for the United Missouri Bank, which later became
UMB Financial Corporation. He later became president in 1959. He ran for the U.S. Senate in 1962 on the
Republican ticket and in the same year chaired the Kansas City Industrial Committee. He was active in the running of the
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, which was named for him. He retired as chairman of UMB in 2004. ==Personal life==