Kenneth F. Simpson
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Farrand Simpson was a Republican
member of the United States House of Representatives
from New York
.
Simpson was born in New York City
. He graduated from Yale University
in 1917, where he was an initiate into Skull and Bones
, and Harvard Law School
in 1922. He served in World War I
. He was a delegate to the 1936 Republican National Convention
and the 1940 Republican National Convention
. He was elected to Congress in 1940 and served from January 3, 1941 until his death in New York City
.
Simpson was the son of Dr. William Kelly Simpson, a noted ear nose and throat specialist in New York City and Professor at Columbia University. Dr. Simpson's connections opened doors for his Scotts Irish son who was graduated from the Hill School (after a senior year in which he convinced Theodore Roosevelt to speak at the school). Simpson went on to Yale where he was named editor of the Yale Daily News and was then the "last man tapped" for a secretive fraternity of note . Simpson served in the Allied Expeditionary Force as a captain and was decorated by the French government for his service. Simpson also assisted the French after the war in seeking return of art and other assets taken by the Germans during hostilities. Simpson's passions, first for politics, included the worlds of contemporary arts & culture. He was active in the ex-pat art world of post war france; as an attorney in private practice he later represented many of his close friends from this era including Picasso, Alexander Kerensky, Edmund Wilson, and Gertrude Stein. He married Helen Louise Knickerbacker a society girl from Montclair, NJ who was also very active in the Paris arts scene of the 1920s as a close friend of Anias Nin. They maintained an apartment in Paris (designed by the famous LGBT architect and designer Eyre De Lanux) and a residence in New York City's 15th Assembly District ("The Silk Stocking District"), a district that Simpson would later represent in Congress. Simpson was also an assistant federal district attorney for the Southern District of New York under Thomas Dewey (later a political rival). Simpson was a stalwart supporter of the Fusion Republicans who were engaged in a dire battle for the heart of the Republican Party in New York as fairly liberal progressives pitted against more conservative party interests both in New York City and upstate (Simpson's congressional campaign materials depict him leaning on a statue of his friend Gertrude Stein and smoking a pipe under a Lurcat in his living room: a different era in campaigning as a Republican candidate for office than today). Simpson formed alliances with FDR and Fiorello La Guardia and was an early critic of Hitler and US business interests that were seen as sympathetic to the Nazi Regime.
Simpson had four children:
Dr. William Kelly Simpson, a noted Egyptologist, Yale professor, and husband of Marilyn Milton Simpson, Mrs. Helen-Louise Simpson Seggerman (deceased), Mrs. Elizabeth Carroll Simpson Bennett of Washington, DC, and Sally Simpson French (deceased)
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Simpson was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. He graduated from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1917, where he was an initiate into Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones
Skull and Bones is an undergraduate senior or secret society at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. It is a traditional peer society to Scroll and Key and Wolf's Head, as the three senior class 'landed societies' at Yale....
, and Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
in 1922. He served in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. He was a delegate to the 1936 Republican National Convention
1936 Republican National Convention
The 1936 Republican National Convention was held in Cleveland, Ohio at the Public Auditorium, from June 9 to June 12, 1936. It nominated Governor Alfred Landon of Kansas for President and Frank Knox of Illinois for Vice-President....
and the 1940 Republican National Convention
1940 Republican National Convention
The 1940 Republican National Convention was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from June 24 to June 28, 1940. It nominated Wendell Willkie of Indiana for President and Senator Charles McNary of Oregon for Vice-President....
. He was elected to Congress in 1940 and served from January 3, 1941 until his death in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Simpson was the son of Dr. William Kelly Simpson, a noted ear nose and throat specialist in New York City and Professor at Columbia University. Dr. Simpson's connections opened doors for his Scotts Irish son who was graduated from the Hill School (after a senior year in which he convinced Theodore Roosevelt to speak at the school). Simpson went on to Yale where he was named editor of the Yale Daily News and was then the "last man tapped" for a secretive fraternity of note . Simpson served in the Allied Expeditionary Force as a captain and was decorated by the French government for his service. Simpson also assisted the French after the war in seeking return of art and other assets taken by the Germans during hostilities. Simpson's passions, first for politics, included the worlds of contemporary arts & culture. He was active in the ex-pat art world of post war france; as an attorney in private practice he later represented many of his close friends from this era including Picasso, Alexander Kerensky, Edmund Wilson, and Gertrude Stein. He married Helen Louise Knickerbacker a society girl from Montclair, NJ who was also very active in the Paris arts scene of the 1920s as a close friend of Anias Nin. They maintained an apartment in Paris (designed by the famous LGBT architect and designer Eyre De Lanux) and a residence in New York City's 15th Assembly District ("The Silk Stocking District"), a district that Simpson would later represent in Congress. Simpson was also an assistant federal district attorney for the Southern District of New York under Thomas Dewey (later a political rival). Simpson was a stalwart supporter of the Fusion Republicans who were engaged in a dire battle for the heart of the Republican Party in New York as fairly liberal progressives pitted against more conservative party interests both in New York City and upstate (Simpson's congressional campaign materials depict him leaning on a statue of his friend Gertrude Stein and smoking a pipe under a Lurcat in his living room: a different era in campaigning as a Republican candidate for office than today). Simpson formed alliances with FDR and Fiorello La Guardia and was an early critic of Hitler and US business interests that were seen as sympathetic to the Nazi Regime.
Simpson had four children:
Dr. William Kelly Simpson, a noted Egyptologist, Yale professor, and husband of Marilyn Milton Simpson, Mrs. Helen-Louise Simpson Seggerman (deceased), Mrs. Elizabeth Carroll Simpson Bennett of Washington, DC, and Sally Simpson French (deceased)