Collection IDMS 92

Size37 boxes and 4 microfilm reels

Collection Description Kenneth Farrand Simpson (1895-1941) was born in New York City into a socially prominent family. Simpson attended the Hill School and was a member of the Yale College Class of 1917. He served in the military during World War I and was stationed in France from June 1918 until the summer of 1919. On his return to the U.S., he entered the Harvard Law School and completed his LLB. degree in 1922. He was admitted to the bar in the same year and began his legal practice in New York City.

In 1925 Simpson was offered a position as assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of NY. Working on a number of cases involving German-owned property which had been confiscated during World War I, he became a specialist in tracing vital witnesses who resided abroad and made several trips to Europe, during one of which he met Alexander Kerensky, the former premier of Russia, who became a good friend.

Simpson resigned from the U.S. Attorney's office at the end of 1927 to become a partner in the firm of Barnes, McKenna and Halstead (later Barnes, Richardson and Halstead). In 1934 he joined Hunt, Hill and Betts, and in 1939 he formed the partnership of Simpson, Brady and Noonan.

He became more and more engrossed in politics and rose to positions of leadership in the Republican Party. A liberal who believed his party had to abandon some of its conservative dogma to win and who exhibited a tolerance for the New Deal, Simpson was elected in 1935 to the powerful position of Republican county chairman and went on to play a crucial role in rebuilding the New York Republican Party.

In 1937, Simpson orchestrated the reelection of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia with Republican Party endorsement. He also persuaded Thomas E. Dewey to run for the office of District Attorney and Bruce Barton to seek election to the House of Representatives from the 17th Congressional District. The success of these candidates marked Simpson as a political boss, and in December he was elected to the Republican National Committee. By late 1939 Simpson had become disenchanted with Dewey, and declared his opposition to Dewey's presidential bid in 1940. He played a vital role in nominating the liberal Wendell Willkie and stopping Dewey. Simpson worked hard in Willkie's unsuccessful campaign, while triumphing in his own bid for election from the 17th Congressional District. Shortly after being sworn-in as a member of the House of Representatives, Simpson died of a heart attack on January 25, 1941.

In 1925 Simpson married Helen-Louise Knickerbocker Porter; they had four children. In addition to his political achievements, Simpson and his wife contributed to the civic organizations and cultural life of New York. He was a member of the Player's Club, the Grand Street Boys' Association, and the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and was a patron of music and a collector of modern art.

Collection Contents The papers consist of correspondence, political memos, campaign literature, and printed matter. Also present are case and client files from Simpson's legal practice.

Newark-related material in the collection includes, but may not be limited to, the following:

Box: 11, Folder 25: Scrapbook of clippings from the Newark Star Ledger concerning the campaign to win New Jersey for [Republican presidential candidate] Wendell Wilkie [sic, Willkie], compiled by Morris Mogelever (1940)

It is probable that there are additional Newark-related items in the collection, as it likely that Simpson was in close touch with such liberal Republican Newarkers as Arthur Vanderbilt and Re. Lester Clee.

FormatTextual materials

SubjectPolitics and Government

Time Period20th Century

LanguageEnglish

Access policyOpen for research

Finding AidYes