Legendary Wyoming senator Alan Simpson has died at age 93

CASPER, Wyo. – Wyoming’s former senator and longtime statesman Alan K. Simpson has died. He was 93.

Sen. Simpson’s death was first reported by WyoFile early Friday. According to the Associated Press, his family said Simpson died early Friday after struggling to recover after breaking his hip in December.

Simpson served three terms as a U.S. Senator from 1979 to 1997, including as the Republican whip from 1985 to 1995. He was a towering presence both physically and intellectually, who wasn’t afraid of rough fights but often used humor to soften the blow. He was known to compare politics to his days as a college basketball player, calling them both “contact sports.”

Simpson worked in what now feels like a bygone bi-partisan, becoming close friends with political foes such as Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy, who he sparred with on a long-running radio series called “Face Off.” He was known to support abortion rights, but was a hawk on government spending and size. After leaving office, Simpson advocated for the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, and collaborated with then-president Barack Obama with a debt reduction commission aimed at saving some $4 trillion through tax hikes and spending cuts. The plan was not supported by Congress, according to the AP.

After leaving the Senate, he taught politics and the media at Harvard and at UW. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden in 2022.

Simpson was born in Denver and graduated high school in Cody after moving with his family to Wyoming. He reportedly had a reckless streak as a youth, attracting attention from law enforcement for gun-shooting and vandalism. After high school he joined the U.S. Army, and went on to graduate from the University of Wyoming with a law degree. He had three children with Ann Schroll, who he married in 1954. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary last summer in Cody with a public ice cream social that attracted hundreds of well-wishers.

Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis remembered Simpson in a release on Friday morning as a man “known for his famous humor and wit.”

“At every gathering Al Simpson attended, people flocked to Al for a moment with a man each considered one of their closest friends,” she added. “That’s the incredible effect he had on the people he served.”