Résumé

Architectural Draftsman, Jefferson and Griffith, Architects, Bakersfield, CA, 1910-1911; Architectural Draftsman, Bemus and Clark, Architects, Bakersfield, CA, 1911-1912; Architectural Draftsman, Oroville L. Clark, Architect, Bakersfield, CA, 1912-1914; Ernest J. Kump, Sr., Architect, Bakersfield, CA, and Fresno, CA, 1914-1922; Kump moved from Bakersfield to Fresno, CA, c. 1914. Partner, Kump and Johnson, Architects and Engineers, Fresno, CA, 1922-1928; Partner, Kump and Kump, Architects, Fresno, CA, 1929; Ernest, Sr., worked with Ernest, Jr., for a year or less in 1929. Principal, Ernest J. Kump, Sr., Architect, 1929-1939; Partner, Kump and [E. Charles] Parke, Architects, Fresno, CA, 1939;

Professional Activities

Kump received his Certificate to Practice Architecture in the State of CA in 1912.

Archives

The papers of Ernest Kump, Sr., were donated to the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, Stanford, CA, by his son, Peter Kump in 1983. The collection included drawings for 302 buildings, on approximately 2,260 sheets.

College

Coursework, Saint Joseph's College, San Jose, CA;

Relocation

Born in Brooklyn, NY, Kump spent most of his childhood in San Jose, CA. He worked as a carpenter in the San Francisco Bay Region and relocated to Bakersfield, CA, by 1910 to start work with the firm of Jefferson and Griffith, Architects. He worked in Bakersfield for approximately four years before transplanting himself to Fresno, CA. Kump developed a busy practice there, becoming a specialist in secondary school buildings. According to architectural historian John Edward Powell: "The September 1916 issue of TheArchitect and Engineer of California printed a lavish review of Kump's work, noting that he had designed thirty-three schools in four years." (See John Edward Powell, "Ernest Kump, Sr.,"Accessed 09/19/2011.) Kump practiced throughout CA's Central Valley up until his death at age 51.

Spouse

Ernest Kump, Sr., left his wife, Mary Petsche Kump (06/10/1889-05/21/1984), in 1914, when his son, Ernest, Jr., was three. He moved to Fresno, CA, and practiced there, while the family remained in Bakersfield, CA. Mary Kump, born in Austria, died in San Mateo County, CA, at the age of 94.

Children

Kump's son, Ernest J. Kump, Jr., (b. 12/29/1911) became a well-known architect in Fresno, CA, and Palo Alto, CA, renowned for his school designs; Ernest, Sr., also had another son who became an architect, Peter, born 04/12/1915, who practiced for most of his career in the Santa Clara Valley of CA, working with his brother in the firm of Kump Associates. Kump, Sr. spent only sporadic periods of time with this sons.

Biographical Notes

According to his granddaughter, Mary Kump Byrnes, Ernest Kump, Sr., "was the youngest licensed architect in the state of California" when he first began practice. (Email 05/06/2011, from Mary Kump Byrnes to the author.)