He was the son of Pieter Hendrik van der Kemp and Bernadina Julie Loise Dibbets.

[1] He was sent out to the Dutch East Indies where he first worked in the colonial civil service as a controleur.

Still later he became first, Secretary, and later Director, of the Department of Education, Religious Affairs, and Industry in the government of the Dutch East Indies.

He also was a founder of the Vereeniging "Moederland en Koloniën", which promoted the dissemination of knowledge about the colony among the general public.

DBNL Digitale Bibliotheek voor de Nederlandse Letteren (in Dutch).