Cuthbert Ormond Simpkins Sr. (January 13, 1925 – December 4, 2019) was an American dentist, civil rights campaigner, and state legislator in Louisiana. He left the state under threat of violence before returning. He was born in

Mansfield, Louisiana Mansfield is a small city in, and the parish seat of, DeSoto Parish, Louisiana, United States. Mansfield is part of the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area, with a 2020 population of 4,714. Geography According to the ...

to Oscar Simpkins. He studied at

Wiley College Wiley University (formerly Wiley College) is a private historically black college in Marshall, Texas. Founded in 1873 by the Methodist Episcopal Church's Bishop Isaac Wiley and certified in 1882 by the Freedman's Aid Society, it is one of the ...

and graduated from

Tennessee State University Tennessee State University (Tennessee State, Tenn State, or TSU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1912, it is the only state-funded historically black university in Tennes ...

with an undergraduate degree. He received a Doctorate of Dental Surgery from

Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry The School of Dentistry is a dental school within Meharry Medical College located in the United States city of Nashville, Tennessee. History Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry is a part of Meharry Medical College. The school was establ ...

in Nashville, Tennessee. He served in the U.S. Air Force. He was a founding member of the

Southern Christian Leadership Conference The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is an African Americans, African-American civil rights organization based in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. SCLC is closely associated with its first president, Martin Luther King Jr., ...

. He lived in

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, third-most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge. The bulk of Shreveport is in Caddo Parish, Lo ...

. His home and office were firebombed. He lived in New York for 26 years before returning to Shreveport. A Democrat, he served in the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (; ) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 representatives, each of whom represents approximately 4 ...

from 1992 to 1996. He was first married to Dorothy nee Herndon Simpkins. There were 4 children from this marriage. At the time of his passing he was married to Elaine nee Shoemaker Simpkins. There were no children from this marriage. Mansfield's post office was renamed for him.

References

1925 births 2019 deaths People from Mansfield, Louisiana Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives United States Air Force officers Wiley University alumni Tennessee State University alumni Meharry Medical College alumni African-American state legislators in Louisiana American dentists 20th-century members of the Louisiana State Legislature 20th-century African-American politicians {{Louisiana-politician-stub