Milward Simpson | |
|---|---|
.png) Simpsonc. 1955 | |
| United States Senator fromWyoming | |
| In office November 6, 1962 – January 3, 1967 | |
| Preceded by | John J. Hickey |
| Succeeded by | Clifford Hansen |
| 23rd Governor of Wyoming | |
| In office January 3, 1955 – January 5, 1959 | |
| Preceded by | Clifford Joy Rogers |
| Succeeded by | John J. Hickey |
| Member of theWyoming House of Representatives | |
| In office 1926–1927 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Milward Lee Simpson (1897-11-12)November 12, 1897 Jackson, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Died | June 11, 1993(1993-06-11) (aged 95) Cody, Wyoming, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Lorna Kooi Simpson |
| Children | Pete Simpson Alan K. Simpson |
| Alma mater | University of Wyoming (BA) Harvard Law School (did not graduate) |
| Profession | Attorney; businessman |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Battles/wars | World War I |
Milward Lee Simpson (November 12, 1897 – June 11, 1993) was an American politician who served as aU.S. Senator and as the23rd Governor of Wyoming, the first born in the state. In 1985, he was inducted into theHall of Great Westerners of theNational Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.[1]
Simpson was born inJackson, Teton County, Wyoming, the son of Margaret Louise (née Burnett; 1874–1974) and William Lee "Billy" Simpson (1868–1940).[2] He attended public schools inMeeteetse andCody. He graduated fromCody High School in 1916.[3] In June 1917, at age 19, Simpson graduated from theTome School for Boys inPort Deposit, Maryland.[4] As one of fifteen graduates, he was awarded Best All-Round Athlete for his outstanding performance on the school's football, basketball, and baseball teams.Franklin D. Roosevelt, who at the time was Assistant Secretary of the Navy, was the Commencement Speaker.[5]
DuringWorld War I, Simpson served as asecond lieutenant in the infantry,United States Army.[2]
After the war, he attended theUniversity of Wyoming, earning aBachelor of Arts in 1921.[4] In university, he was both an athlete and member of thedebate team. Simpson was in the same class asW. Edwards Deming (1900–1993),[6][7] credited for, among other things, launching theTotal Quality Management movement. He was also in the same fraternity,Alpha Tau Omega, asGlenn Parker (1898–1989),[6][7] whom he appointed to theWyoming Supreme Court when he became Governor in 1955.
From 1921 to 1923 and from 1924 to 1925, he attendedHarvard Law School, but did not graduate.[8]
In 1924, while studying at Harvard, Simpson took over his father's law practice.[2] He was admitted to the Wyoming Bar Association in 1926 and practiced law in Cody until 1955 when he became governor.[9]
Simpson served as a Republican member of theWyoming House of Representatives for one two-year term, from 1926 to 1927. He was a member of the board of trustees of the University of Wyoming in 1939 and president of the board from 1943 to 1954. He was a member of the National Association of Governing Boards of State Universities and Allied Institutions and served as president of the body from 1952 to 1953.
Milward Simpson ran for the U.S. Senate againstJoseph C. O'Mahoney in 1940, but was defeated 58.7% to 41.3%. Simpson was narrowly elected governor in November 1954. He defeated theDemocrat William Jack, 56,275 (50.5 percent) to 55,163 (49.5 percent). Simpson was unseated after a single term in 1958, a heavily Democratic year nationally, after a single term in office byJohn J. Hickey ofRawlins inCarbon County, 55,070 (48.9 percent) to 52,488 (46.6 percent). He resumed his law practice in 1959.
Simpson won aspecial election on November 6, 1962, to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Republican Senator-electEdwin Keith Thomson in the term ending January 3, 1967;[10] he was not a candidate for Senate reelection in 1966 but was succeeded by outgoing GovernorClifford Hansen ofJackson. Simpson lived in Cody until his death in 1993 at the age of 95.
As governor, Simpson advocated for, and signed into law the Wyoming Civil Rights Act of 1957, a measure aimed at abolishing racial segregation in the state.[11][12] However, as a U.S. Senator, Simpson was one of six Republicans – the others beingBarry Goldwater ofArizona,Norris Cotton ofNew Hampshire,Bourke B. Hickenlooper ofIowa,Edwin Mechem ofNew Mexico, andJohn Tower ofTexas – who voted against theCivil Rights Act of 1964.[13] Simpson voted in favor of theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[14]
Simpson played football, basketball, and baseball for the University of Wyoming in 1917, 1919–1920, and 1920–1921.[15] He has been chronicled as the first to simultaneously serve as captain of three intercollegiate sports at the university.[16][17] In 1996, Simpson was inducted into the University of Wyoming Athletics Hall of Fame.[15]
Around 1921 and 1924, Simpson played semi-professional baseball inRed Lodge, Montana, and Cody.[18] One of his teammates was the subsequentLieutenant Governor and Education SuperintendentBill Dodd ofLouisiana. They became close friends.
Sports Illustrated ranks Simpson, as a multisport star, Wyoming's 28th Greatest Sports Figure of the 20th Century.[19]
On June 29, 1929, Simpson married Lorna Helen Kooi (1900–1995) inSheridan, Wyoming. They had two sons, both of whom have the middle name "Kooi." The younger son,Alan K. Simpson, served in the Wyoming House fromPark County from 1965 to 1977 and in the United States Senate from 1979 to 1997. Alan Simpson was theSenate Republican Whip during the early 1990s. The older son,Peter K. Simpson, is a retired historian and administrator at the University of Wyoming, who served in the state House from 1981 to 1984 representingSheridan County, his residence during prior work forSheridan College. Milward Simpson's grandson (by way ofAlan Simpson),Colin M. Simpson, is a former member of the Wyoming House from Cody, who lost a Republican primary for governor in 2010 toMatt Mead.[citation needed]
Death
He died on June 11, 1993 at a nursing home inCody, Wyoming fromParkinson's disease at the age of 95. He was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Cody, Wyoming.[20][21][22]
LCCN 2004-114224 (2005);ISBN 0-1607-3176-3 (2005).OCLC 8065613 (all editions).OCLC 1268148100.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)ISBN 978-0-9754-8160-8,0-9754-8160-6;OCLC 1059153706 (all editions).| Party political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromWyoming (Class 1) 1940 | Succeeded by Harry B. Henderson |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Wyoming 1954,1958 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromWyoming (Class 2) 1962 | |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Governor of Wyoming January 3, 1955 – January 5, 1959 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. senator (Class 2) from Wyoming November 7, 1962 – January 3, 1967 Served alongside:Gale W. McGee | Succeeded by |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by | Oldest living U.S. senator September 23, 1992 – June 10, 1993 | Succeeded by |
| Class 1 |  | |
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| Class 2 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
