Richard Murray Simpson (August 30, 1900 – January 7, 1960) was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

member of the U.S. House of Representatives from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

. Richard Simpson was born in

Huntingdon, Pennsylvania Huntingdon is a borough in (and the county seat of) Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located along the Juniata River, approximately east of Altoona and west of Harrisburg. With a population of 7,093 at the 2010 census ...

, the son of Warren Brown and Sue Simpson. His father and uncle constructed

Raystown Lake Raystown Lake is a reservoir in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It is the largest lake that is entirely within Pennsylvania. The original lake was built by the Simpson family of Huntingdon as a hydroelectric project. The current Raystown Lake ...

, the largest lake entirely within Pennsylvania. He married Grace Metz in 1928, and they had two daughters, Susan and Barbara. She died in 1945, and he married Mae Cox in 1948; they had one daughter, Kay. He graduated from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...

, in 1923 and from

Georgetown Law School The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and t ...

in Washington, D.C., in 1942. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Simpson served as a private in the Three Hundred and First Company, Tank Corps. He was engaged in the insurance business from 1923 to 1937. He served in the

Pennsylvania State House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1935 to 1937.p.1p.2
/ref> Simpson was elected as a Republican to the

75th United States Congress The 75th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from January 3, 1937 ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Benjamin K. Focht Benjamin Kurtz Focht (March 12, 1863 – March 27, 1937) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Biography Benjamin K. Focht was born in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania. He attended Bucknell University in ...

. He was re-elected to the Seventy-sixth and to the ten succeeding Congresses and served until his death in 1960. Simpson voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights legislation passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwi ...

. In 1953, he became chair of the

National Republican Congressional Committee The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives. The NRCC was formed in 1866, when the Republican caucuses of the House and ...

. He had previously served as vice chairman of the

House Republican Conference The House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It hosts meetings and is the primary forum for communicating the party's message to members. The Conference produces a daily pu ...

and secretary of the

House Republican Policy Committee A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condit ...

. At the time of his death, he was the ranking member of the powerful Ways and Means Committee. He died on January 7, 1960, at

Bethesda Naval Medical Center The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), formerly known as the National Naval Medical Center and colloquially referred to as the Bethesda Naval Hospital, Walter Reed, or Navy Med, is a United States' tri-service military medi ...

, several weeks after undergoing brain surgery.

References

Retrieved on 2008-01-26 1900 births 1960 deaths Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives University of Pittsburgh alumni United States Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Pennsylvania People from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania Georgetown University Law Center alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 20th-century American politicians {{Pennsylvania-Representative-stub

See also

References