Jacob B. Kemerer

Kemerer was born in Center Valley, Pennsylvania to German immigrants Benjamin Kemerer and Mary Née Bachman on December 21, 1844. While he was still a child his family moved to Freemansburg, Pennsylvania and then in 1848 to Philadelphia. There Jacob received a public school education, receiving a high school diploma from Central High School as part of the class of 1861. He worked in the wholesaling business and read law with Judge U.J. Wenner of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and was admitted to the bar in 1876. He opened a partnership with Clarence Wolle specializing in real estate and fire insurance in 1886. He was a member of the Bethlehem council from 1880 to 1887, elected president of the council from 1885 to 1887, and served as Chief Burgess of Bethlehem from 1887 to 1893.[3] During his time in the council he chaired the city's Street, Water, Law, and Police Committees. He was elected the city's solicitor from 1892 to 1893 and was elected to the State Senate in 1898. He served on the committee of Judiciary General and was noted to be well versed in Legalese and gave his fellow senators meaningful insight into legal practices when relevant. He would be unable to attend many sessions do to an ongoing battle with Bright's disease which ultimately took his life on October 16, 1901, at the age of 56.[1][2]

Kemerer married Amanda J. Née Seem in 1865 and the couple had a son, Albert G. Kemerer.[1] Jacob was a member of the Independent Order of Red Men, Knights of Pythias and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Kemerer was Presbyterian, and one of the few Chief Burgesses that was not a member of the Moravian Church, regardless, he is buried in the God's Acre in Bethlehem.[2][3]