Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado, September 2, 1931, the son of Milward and Lorna (Kooi) Simpson. He attended public schools in Cody and graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1954. He earned his law degree from University of Wyoming in 1958. Admitted to the bar in 1958, he practiced law in Cody. He served as assistant attorney-general of Wyoming in 1958-59, and as city attorney of Cody. He was United States Commissioner from 1959-1969.

He was elected to the Wyoming House of Representatives in 1964 and served until 1977. In 1978, he was elected to the U. S. Senate and re-elected in 1984 and 1990. He was not a candidate for re-election in 1996. In the U. S. Senate, Simpson served as Republican whip (1985-1993); and chairman of the Veterans’ Affairs committee. Following his departure from the U. S. Senate, he served as visiting lecturer, Kennedy School of Government, Shorenstein Center, and Director of the Institute of Politics, 1997-2000. He was appointed to the American Battle Monuments Commission in 2001. In 2002, he was co-chairman of the Continuity in Government Commission.

Additional Resources

• "Al Simpson - Nothing Else Matters," Wyoming PBS, 2006. (accessed April 2017)