James C. Simpson Jr. (January 7, 1905 – February 29, 1960) was an American politician who served one term in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

from 1933 to 1935, representing

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Roc ...

Early life and career

Simpson was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

on January 7, 1905, the son of prominent businessman James Simpson. He attended St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire from 1919 to 1922,

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It derives from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the 1066 Norman Conquest, as d ...

Salisbury, Connecticut Salisbury () is a town situated in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is the northwesternmost in the state of Connecticut; the Massachusetts-New York-Connecticut tri-state marker is located at the northwest corner of the tow ...

from 1922 to 1925, and was later a student at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. He served as director of Marshall Field & Co. from 1931 to 1960.

Tenure in Congress

At the age of 28, Simpson was elected as 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 again ...

to the Seventy-third Congress (March 4, 1933 – January 3, 1935). He was defeated in the Republican primary by

Ralph Church Ralph Edwin Church (May 5, 1883 – March 21, 1950) was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1917 to 1932 and then represented the northern suburbs of Chicago in the United S ...

in 1934.

Later career

He was admitted to the Illinois bar in 1939. He was owner and operator of farms near

Wadsworth, Illinois Wadsworth is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 3,517. It is named after E. S. Wadsworth, who was a major stockholder for the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, which passes ...

, and Rapidan,

Culpeper County, Virginia Culpeper County is a county located along the borderlands of the northern and central region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 52,552. Its county seat and only incorporated community is Cul ...

. He entered the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

in 1943 and served thirty-six months, with twenty-four months in the Pacific area, and was discharged as a captain. He was a civilian aide to Secretary of the Army

Robert T. Stevens Robert Ten Broeck Stevens (July 31, 1899January 31, 1983) was an American businessman and former chairman of J. P. Stevens and Company, which was one of the most established textile manufacturing plants in the US. He served as the Secretar ...

in 1953 and 1954. He died at his farm near

, February 29, 1960. He was interred in

Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Ir ...

, Chicago. Grave of James Simpson Jr

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, James Jr. 1905 births 1960 deaths Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago) Harvard University alumni Military personnel from Illinois United States Marine Corps officers St. Paul's School (New Hampshire) alumni Westminster School (Connecticut) alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois 20th-century American politicians People from Wadsworth, Illinois