John Simpson (died January 22, 1813) was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

officer, attorney, and politician. Simpson saw military action in both the

Northwest Indian War The Northwest Indian War (1786–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native American nations known today as the Northwestern ...

and the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

. He also served 4 terms in the

Kentucky House of Representatives The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form ...

including 2 years as the House's Speaker. In 1812 he was elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

but died before he could take office.

Early life

Simpson was born in

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

and moved to

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

with his family as a child during the 1780s. They settled in Lincoln County and Simpson would attend school in first Danville and then Bardstown.

Northwest Indian War

During the war Simpson volunteered for the

Legion of the United States The Legion of the United States was a reorganization and extension of the Continental Army from 1792 to 1796 under the command of Major General Anthony Wayne. It represented a political shift in the new United States, which had recently adopte ...

under the command of Gen.

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...

. He participated in the final skirmish of war; the

Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their British allies, against the nascent United States ...

but did not see battle as he stayed behind to guard supplies.

Political career

After the war Simpson moved to

Shelby County, Kentucky Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,065. Its county seat is Shelbyville. The county was founded in 1792 and named for Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentucky. Shelb ...

where he would study law and become a one of Shelby County's first attorneys. He went on to be elected to the

representing Shelby County. He was elected to 4 consecutive terms from 1806 to 1811. He was elected Speaker of the House from 1810 to 1811; defeating Samuel South and William MacMillan. In 1812 he was elected to the

from the newly created 8th District of Kentucky. Although the 8th district had just been formed he defeated incumbent

Stephen Ormsby Stephen Ormsby (1759March 4, 1844) was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky. He was born in County Sligo, Ireland, immigrated to the United States when a boy, and settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He pursued classical studies and studied la ...

who had been redistricted from the

3rd Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

. He defeated Ormsby by a 'small margin'. Before taking his seat the

broke out and Simpson rejoined the army. Ormsby would later win a special election to be his replacement.

War of 1812

During the

Simpson once again volunteered for service. On August 15, 1812 he joined the First Rifle Regiment using his political clout to become the

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the regiment's third company. Under the command of Col. John Allen his regiment helped reinforce Gen. Hull in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

. He participated in the Battle of River Raisin on January 22, 1813. He joined the battle during a British counterattack while the regular soldiers where retreating to the river. While his company only lost one soldier during its first engagement he was killed early into the retreat. In September 1834 human remains believed to be his were exhumed and returned to

. However, they have never been positively identified. He is also believed to have been reburied in the

Frankfort Cemetery The Frankfort Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located on East Main Street in Frankfort, Kentucky. The cemetery is the burial site of Daniel Boone and contains the graves of other famous Americans including seventeen Kentucky governors and a ...

Frankfort, Kentucky Frankfort is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, United States, and the seat of Franklin County. It is a home rule-class city; the population was 28,602 at the 2020 census. Located along the Kentucky River, Frankfort is the prin ...

but the exact location is unknown.

Legacy

John Simpson is the namesake of both

Simpsonville, Kentucky Simpsonville is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Shelby County, Kentucky, Shelby County, Kentucky, in the United States. It is located 8 miles west of Shelbyville, Kentucky and 23 miles east of Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville si ...

and

Simpson County, Kentucky Simpson County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the total population was 19,594. Its county seat is Franklin. History Simpson County was established in 1819 from Allen, Loga ...

. Fourth street of

Shelbyville, Kentucky Shelbyville is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Shelby County, Kentucky, Shelby County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 14,045 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History Early hist ...

was also once named Simpson street in his honor.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, John 1813 deaths 19th-century American politicians Burials at Frankfort Cemetery Elected officials who died without taking their seats Kentucky Democratic-Republicans Kentucky in the Northwest Indian War Kentucky lawyers Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives People from Shelbyville, Kentucky People from Virginia Speakers of the Kentucky House of Representatives United States Army officers United States Army personnel of the War of 1812 American military personnel killed in the War of 1812