A Live Free or Die Democrat
About Jon
At heart, Jon is an artist. Originally setting out to work in the music industry, Jon’s endless curiosity led him to publish multiple music albums as well as several books spanning true crime, children’s literature, and poetry.
Today, Jon is the owner and operator of Jonny Boston’s International, a popular Newmarket eatery. In connecting more deeply with his community, Jon has served in public office and has established multiple nonprofits aimed at promoting the arts as well as preserving history.
As a father, small business owner, and New Hampshire native, Jon loves his home state and wants to make it the best it can be.
Jon Kiper was born in 1982 and grew up in Stratham, New Hampshire. He graduated from Exeter High School in 2001. After high school, he moved to Australia and studied Audio Engineering at the SAE Institute in Melbourne.
After graduating college, Jon returned to his home state to concentrate on his creative pursuits, in 2008 recording his first musical album The Black and White of Gray under the stage name Jesus is a Jedi.
In 2012, he wrote and published his first children's book, Dream Detectives: Something Funny About the Cake, a runner-up for the New Hampshire Children's Book Award.
That same year, Jon recorded his second musical album as Jesus is a Jedi: Until the Universe Explodes.
In 2013, he published a true-crime novel about a local murder: A Ghost in the Darkness: The True Story of the Vicki Bader Murder.
In 2014, Jon opened his own restaurant, Jonny Boston's International, where he cooks, washes dishes, and serves customers in Newmarket to this day.
Reflecting on the experiences of his peers throughout New Hampshire’s opioid epidemic, in 2015 Jon co-founded the Newmarket Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention.
Jon served on the Newmarket Zoning Board of Adjustment, the Newmarket Energy and Environment Committee, and the Newmarket Town Council. He advocated for the legalization of tiny houses, created an ordinance to allow restaurants to sell alcohol on sidewalks, and spearheaded an initiative for food composting.
In 2021, Jon worked to form the Wentworth Cheswill Monument Committee, which is fundraising to build a statue of the first African American elected to public office in the United States.
Currently, Jon serves on the board for the Newmarket MillSpace, planning events and expanding the arts and business scene in the town he loves to call home.
Jon enjoys hiking the mountains of New Hampshire and spending as much time as possible at the beach. He resides in Newmarket with his 8-year-old son, Ollie, his partner, Emily, and their two cats, Duck and Pizza Cat.