Richard Murray Simpson (August 30, 1900 – January 7, 1960) was a Republican member of the

U.S. House of Representatives 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

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Richard Simpson was born in

Huntingdon, Pennsylvania Huntingdon is a borough in and county seat of Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, in the Middle Atlantic states region of the Northeastern United States. It lies along the Juniata River about east of larger Altoona and west of the state capita ...

, the son of Warren Brown and Sue Simpson. His father and uncle constructed

Raystown Lake Raystown Lake is a reservoir in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It is the largest lake that is entirely within Pennsylvania. The original lake was built by the Simpson family of Huntingdon as a hydroelectric project. The current Raystown Lak ...

, the largest lake entirely within Pennsylvania. He married Grace Metz in 1928, with whom had two daughters, Susan and Barbara. On her death in 1945, Simpson married Mae Cox in 1948; they had one daughter, Kay. He graduated from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

, in 1923, and from

Georgetown Law School Georgetown University Law Center is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment, with over ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, in 1942. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Simpson served as a private in the Three Hundred and First Company,

Tank Corps An armoured corps (also mechanized corps or tank corps) is a specialized military organization whose role is to conduct armoured warfare. The units belonging to an armoured corps include military staff, and are equipped with tanks and other armou ...

. He was engaged in the insurance business from 1923 to 1937. He served in the

Pennsylvania State House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

from 1935 to 1937.p.1p.2
/ref> Simpson was elected as a Republican to the

75th United States Congress The 75th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 1 ...

to fill the vacancy caused by the death of

Benjamin K. Focht Benjamin Kurtz Focht (March 12, 1863 – March 27, 1937) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Biography Benjamin K. Focht was born in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania. He attended Bucknell University in Le ...

. He was re-elected to the Seventy-sixth and to the ten succeeding Congresses and served until his death in 1960. Simpson voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1957 The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was the first federal civil rights law passed by the United States Congress since the Civil Rights Act of 1875. The bill was passed by the 85th United States Congress and signed into law by President Dwight D. E ...

. In 1953, he became chair of the

National Republican Congressional Committee The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the United States Republican Party, Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives. The NRCC was formed in 1866, when the Repub ...

. He had previously served as vice chairman of the

House Republican Conference The House Republican Conference is the party caucus for Republicans in the United States House of Representatives. It hosts meetings, and is the primary forum for communicating the party's message to members. The conference produces a daily pu ...

and secretary of the

House Republican Policy Committee In the United States House of Representatives, the two major political parties maintain policy and steering committees. Their primary purpose is to assign fellow party members to other House committees, and they also advise party leaders on pol ...

. At the time of his death, he was the ranking member of the powerful

Ways and Means Committee A ways and means committee is a government body that is charged with reviewing and making recommendations for government budgets. Because the raising of revenue is vital to carrying out governmental operations, such a committee is tasked with fi ...

. He died on January 7, 1960, at

Bethesda Naval Medical Center Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC; formerly known as the National Naval Medical Center and colloquially referred to as Bethesda Naval Hospital, Walter Reed, or Navy Med) is a United States military medical center located in B ...

, several weeks after undergoing brain surgery.

References

Retrieved on 2008-01-26 {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Richard M. 1900 births 1960 deaths Republican Party members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives University of Pittsburgh alumni United States Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Pennsylvania People from Huntingdon, Pennsylvania Georgetown University Law Center alumni Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania 20th-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives

See also

References