Commemorating Alan K. Simpson

Alan Kooi Simpson, one of the University of Wyoming College of Law’s most influential alumni, passed away March 14, 2025, at the age of 93.

 

Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado, to former Wyoming Governor and U.S. Senator Milward Lee Simpson and Lorna Kooi Simpson. As a Boy Scout during World War II, he visited Japanese-American Boy Scouts and their families that had been interned in Wyoming. Here, he met Norman Mineta, future Secretary of Transportation under George W. Bush, who would later work with Simpson in Congress and become a lifelong friend.

 

Simpson graduated from Cody High School in 1949. He then did a postgraduate year at Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, before returning to the University of Wyoming to study history, graduating in 1954. By the time Simpson came to the College of Law, he was already well-known on campus. He had lettered in both basketball and football, served in the student senate, and been a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. It didn’t hurt that, at six feet seven inches tall, he towered over many other students. He had already married Ann, the love of his life, a fellow UW student. He said of Ann: “This is my rock, my refuge, my anchor. A remarkable woman.”

 

At the College of Law, Simpson wrote the influential academic paper “The Role of the Decedent in Estate Planning.” One shortcoming of his legal education was that he never mastered the Rule in Shelley’s Case. He would often ask attorneys to describe what the Rule in Shelley’s Case had done for them. Simpson graduated, not cum laude, but, as he put it, “thank the laude,” with his J.D. in 1958.

 

After leaving the College of Law, Simpson had an illustrious career as an attorney in private practice, the City Attorney in Cody, Wyoming, a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives, and U.S. Senator for the State of Wyoming. He served in this capacity from 1979–1997, chairing numerous committees and eventually becoming Republican Whip and later Assistant Republican Leader.

 

Simpson was dedicated his constituents and representing the state of Wyoming, advocating for issues such as energy, public lands, and economic development. He cosponsored numerous bills addressing veterans’ benefits, compensation for dependents of federal law enforcement, pipeline safety, safe drinking water, wetland conservation, highway safety, aviation, consumer protection, firearm owners’ protection, and an AIDS emergency act. He was known for his sense of humor and his ability to work across party lines.

 

Simpson lent his name to the College of Law’s new Alan K. Simpson Center for Clinical and Experiential Learning. Opened in 2024, the facility gives students hands-on experience practicing law through seven legal clinics and provides access to justice for indigent parties in Wyoming. His humor and wisdom are memorialized throughout the building.

 

In life, Simpson exemplified integrity and a commitment to doing the right thing. He leaves a legacy of public service and leadership in his wake. At once witty, wise, personable, and hardworking, he remains an inspiration for future generations of leaders committed to the betterment of their communities.