Richard Franklin Simpson (March 24, 1798 – October 28, 1882) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

. Born in

Laurens, South Carolina Laurens is a city in Laurens County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 9,139 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Laurens County. History Located in upstate South Carolina, the city of Laurens is named after Henry Lau ...

, Simpson graduated from South Carolina College (now the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

) at Columbia in 1816. He studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1819. He began practice in

Pendleton, South Carolina Pendleton is a town in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,489 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a sister city of Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The town is located southeast of Cl ...

. He held several local offices. He served as major during the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups of people collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Muscogee, Creek and Black Seminoles as well as oth ...

in 1835. He volunteered with the Laurens County Company and was elected Captain of the Company."Descendants of Baily Carter"
''reynoldspatova.org website'', page 23. Retrieved May 5, 2021. He was appointed Major of the South Carolina Regiment, and took his cavalry Battalion to Florida. Simpson served as member of the State senate 1834-1838. He was elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the Twenty-eighth, Twenty-ninth, and Thirtieth Congresses (March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1849). He declined to be a candidate for renomination in 1848. He served as member of the secession convention in 1860 and signed the ordinance of secession. After his political involvement, Simpson engaged in agricultural pursuits. He died in

, October 28, 1882 and was interred in the family cemetery near that city.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Richard Franklin 1798 births 1882 deaths American militia officers Democratic Party South Carolina state senators Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from South Carolina People from Laurens, South Carolina People from Pendleton, South Carolina University of South Carolina alumni 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 19th-century members of the South Carolina General Assembly