Alan K. Simpson (born September 2, 1931 in Denver, Colorado U.S.A.) is a Republican politician who served from 1979 to 1997 as a United States Senator from Wyoming. His father, Milward L. Simpson, was also a member of the Senate from Wyoming (1962-1967) and a former governor of that state (1955-1959). From 1985 to 1995 Simpson was the Republican Whip in the Senate, and also served as Chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee from 1981 to 1987 and again from 1995 to 1997 when Republicans regained control of the Senate. He also chaired The Immigration and Refugee Subcomittee of Judiciary; the Nuclear Regulation Subcommittee; the Social Security Subcommittee and The Committee on Aging. In 1995, he lost his re-election for Republican Whip to Trent Lott (R-MS), and did not seek reelection in 1996. From 1997 to 2000 he taught at the Shorenstein Center of Press and Politics at Harvard University and served for two years as the Director of The Institute of Politics at The John F. Kennedy School of Government (Harvard). He returned to his home of Cody, Wyoming and practices law there with his two lawyer sons (William and Colin)in the firm of Simpson, Kepler and Edwards and the three are also partners in the firm of Burg Simpson Eldrege Hersh and Jardine of Denver, Colorado (Englewood). Colin Simpson is also a Republican member of the Wyoming House of Representatives.
Alan Simpson teaches periodically at his alma mater, the University of Wyoming at Laramie. He has just completed serving as Chair of the capital "Campaign For Distinction" (for U. of Wyo.) which raised the sum of $204 million dollars. That success was celebrated by the gala event, "An Extraordinary Evening", featuring former President George H.W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney and wife Lynne V. Cheney (who are both Honored Alumni of the University of Wyoming).
Simpson serves on the Commission for Continuity in Government. He also serves as co-chair of Americans for Campaign Reform with Bill Bradley, is active with the National Commission on Writing, is on the Advisory Board of The Common Good, and is a former member of the American Battle Monuments Commission. Simpson's father, Milward Simpson, also served in the Senate and was among six Republican members who voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Alan Simpson, however, has been an outspoken advocate for abortion rights, gay and lesbian rights, and equality for all persons regardless of race, color, creed, gender or sexual preference.
