Kenneth A. Simpler is an American politician. He was Delaware State Treasurer from 2015 to 2019. He is the last Republican to win a statewide race in Delaware.

Education

Simpler attended high school at St. Andrew's School in

Middletown, Delaware Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,871. Geography and climate Middletown is located at (39.4495560, –75.7163207) with an elevation of . According t ...

. He earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

in political economy at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

. While in college, he was charged in an incident where 45 students were sent to the Princeton infirmary or local hospital for alcohol-induced medical problems, including one student who was in a coma for 24 hours. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail for his role in hosting parties where alcohol was served to minors. Simpler earned a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accoun ...

and a Juris Doctor from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

. He was owner and chief financial officer of Seaboard Hotels and managing director at Citadel LLC. He worked as a corporate attorney at

Kirkland & Ellis Kirkland & Ellis LLP is an American multinational law firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1909, Kirkland & Ellis is the largest law firm in the world by revenue and the seventh-largest by number of attorneys, and was the first la ...

and has served on the board of directors of Draper Holdings, the parent company of WBOC and Fox 21. While serving as Delaware State Treasurer, Simpler enrolled at the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration at the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 ma ...

to pursue a Master of Public Administration. After leaving office, he completed the degree in February 2020.

Political career

Simpler was elected Delaware State Treasurer on November 4, 2014, and took office on January 6, 2015. In the

2018 elections The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2018. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. Africa *2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election 23 February 2018 * 2018 Sierra Leonean general ele ...

, he was defeated in his reelection campaign by

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Colleen Davis Colleen Davis (; born 1979/1980) is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party serving as the Delaware State Treasurer. As a child, Davis moved from the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland to Sussex County, Delaware, where she gr ...

. His defeat was one of several losses for prominent Republicans in Delaware in 2018 and as of 2022 establishes him as the most recent Republican to serve statewide.

Electoral history

References

External links

* 21st-century American politicians Delaware Republicans People associated with Kirkland & Ellis Living people People from Rehoboth Beach, Delaware Princeton University alumni State treasurers of Delaware University of Chicago Booth School of Business alumni University of Chicago Law School alumni Year of birth missing (living people) {{Delaware-politician-stub