Frederick Thomas Kemper[citation needed] was born in Madison County, Virginia, in 1816.

His brother was General James L. Kemper, who gained fame at the Battle of Gettysburg, and later became Governor of Virginia.

Kemper's early academic experiences were through private tutors and small schools in the Tidewater area of Virginia.

In 1856, the school was temporarily closed when Kemper accepted a teaching and administrative position at the newly established Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri.

However, in 1861 he returned to Boonville and reopened the school in partnership with his wife's brother, Edwin H. Taylor.