Who is Mr. Kemp from Sacred Hunger and what is their importance?

Mr. Kemp is the owner of the Liverpool Merchant, a slave ship. He is very opinionated and wishes to be liked and thought intelligent, although this false intelligence, at times, puts him in some uncomfortable situations. As the story progresses, he grows increasingly anxious about his financial situation. He commits suicide and is found by Erasmus. His wife takes control of the situation and makes sure that a death certificate saying he has died from natural causes is made, so that her husband's name would not be completely destroyed. Although, upon his death, it is discovered how deep in debt he truly is, and Erasmus spends many years of his life bringing prestige back to the Kemp name.