Jessie L. Simpson (1882 — April 14, 1974) was a staff member in the United States Senate, appointed clerk of the Committee on Foreign Relations in 1916. At the time, she was the second highest paid woman in the federal government.

Early life

Jessie L. Simpson was born in Illinois and raised in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

."Important Post for Woman"
''New York Times'' (January 3, 1917): 10. via Newspapers.com

Career

Simpson worked in political campaigns for Jacob F. Wolters in Texas and for Champ Clark in St. Louis. She attended the

1912 Democratic National Convention The 1912 Democratic National Convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory off North Howard Street in Baltimore from June 25 to July 2, 1912. The Convention The convention was held at the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore from June 25 t ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

. She helped to run Democratic Western Headquarters in Chicago as secretary to Senator

William J. Stone William Joel Stone (May 7, 1848April 14, 1918) was a Democratic politician from Missouri who represented his state in the United States House of Representatives from 1885 to 1891, and in the U.S. Senate from 1903 until his death; he also served ...

. In 1916, Simpson was appointed as clerk to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, becoming the second woman, after Leona Wells in 1901, to serve as secretary of any Senate committee, and thus gain "privileges of the floor". Her salary of $3000 made her the second-highest-paid woman in the federal government, after

Julia Lathrop Julia Clifford Lathrop (June 29, 1858 – April 15, 1932) was an American social reformer in the area of education, social policy, and children's welfare. As director of the United States Children's Bureau from 1912 to 1922, she was the first wom ...

, and the ''New York Times'' described her job as "the most responsible of all Senate clerkships." In late 1917, she joined the auditing office of the American Expeditionary Forces in France during World War I. After the war, she was secretary to Senator Robert A. Taft."Jessie L. Simpson"
''Asbury Park Press'' (April 16, 1974): 15. via Newspapers.com

Personal life

Simpson was described as dressing "in the sensible way that all promising young business women are expected to dress. She wears soft silk collars and cravats, and plain tailored suits.""Lady in the Senate"
''Durham Morning Herald'' (February 3, 1917): 5. via Newspapers.com Simpson died in 1974, aged 91 years, in a hospital in Holmdel Township, New Jersey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Jessie L. 1882 births 1974 deaths American women in World War I People from St. Louis Employees of the United States Senate 20th-century American people