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Alan K. Simpson papers, 1911-2021

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Simpson, Alan K.
Title
Alan K. Simpson papers
Dates
1911-2021 (inclusive)
1979-1996 (bulk)
Quantity
382.78 cubic ft. (771 boxes) + 139.10 GB
Collection Number
10449
Summary
Papers of this former U.S. Republican Senator from Wyoming, containing press files, photographs, constituent correspondence, legislative records, office files, personal and family papers, Simpson law office files, and Wyoming State Legislature records.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
The creation of the EAD-version of this finding aid was made possible through a grant from the National Historic Publications and Records Commission.
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Historical Note

Former United States Senator Alan Kooi Simpson was born September 2, 1931, in Denver, Colorado, the second son of former Wyoming Governor and U.S. Senator Milward Lee Simpson and Lorna Kooi Simpson. He attended public schools in Cody, Wyoming, and spent a post-graduate year at Cranbrook School in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, before entering college. He entered the University of Wyoming in 1950 and received a bachelor of science in law degree in 1954. While at the university, he was a member of the Student Senate, a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, president of the “W” Club Lettermen's organization, and lettered in both varsity football and basketball.

Upon graduation from college, Simpson joined the U.S. Army and was commissioned as a second lieutenant. He served overseas in the 5th Infantry and 2nd Armored (Hell on Wheels) Divisions in the final months of Army occupation in Germany. Following his discharge from the Army in 1956, Simpson returned to the University of Wyoming to study law and earned his Juris Doctorate in 1958. He joined his father and later Charles G. Kepler in the law firm of Simpson, Kepler and Simpson, practicing law in Cody for the next 18 years. During that time he also served ten years as city attorney (1959-1969) and for a short time in 1959 as assistant attorney general of Wyoming.

Simpson began his political career in 1964 when he was elected to the Wyoming State Legislature as a state representative of Park County. He served for the next 13 years in the Wyoming House of Representatives, holding the offices of majority whip, majority floor leader, and speaker pro-tem. In 1978, he ran for and was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate for the six-year term beginning January 3, 1979. He was re-elected in 1984 and again in 1990. While in the Senate, Simpson served as majority leader, assistant minority leader, and chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. He also served on the Judiciary Committee and chaired its Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Policy, the Environment and Public Works Committee, the Finance Committee's Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy, the Special Committee on Aging, and the Select Committee to Investigate Undercover Operations of the FBI and the Department of Justice. Simpson completed his third and final term on January 3, 1997.

After retiring from the Senate, Simpson served as director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government from 1998 to 2000 before returning to Wyoming to resume practicing law in Cody. He was selected as co-chairman of the Continuity of Government Commission after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, and also served on the American Battle Monuments Commission. Simpson made frequent appearances as a commentator for television news programs and kept a busy speaking schedule. In addition, he served on the boards of several corporations and was chairman of the board of trustees for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming.

Alan Simpson married the former Ann Schroll of Greybull, Wyoming, in June 1954. They had three children: William Lloyd, Colin Mackenzie, and Susan Lorna.

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Content Description

Note: The letters ‘AKS' found throughout this finding aid stand for ‘Alan K. Simpson.'

Scope and Content of Series I

Series I of the Alan K. Simpson papers contains press relations and media activity records maintained during Simpson's time in office, arranged in seven sub-series. News clippings (sub-series 1) collected from Wyoming and national newspapers, journals, and magazines document Simpson's legislative and personal activities. There are numerous items written by Simpson such as news columns, newsletters, press releases, letters to the editor, opinion editorials, articles, and position statements (sub-series 2-4). Press subject files (sub-series 5) contain subject and issue-based newspaper articles, background information, talking points, and press requests. Radio and TV files (sub-series 6) contain audio and videotapes and transcripts of campaign spots, public service announcements, television appearances, weekly radio interviews, floor statements, hearings, and post-senatorial appearances (included here due to format). Also included are the scripts and tapes of the Face Off radio program that Simpson hosted with Senator Ted Kennedy. The last section of this series, sub-series 7, contains speeches delivered by Simpson during public appearances such as commencement addresses, eulogies, roasts, conventions, dedication ceremonies, etc. Speeches can also be found in Series IV, Legislative Records.

Scope and Content of Series II

Series II contains photographs in black and white, color, and electronic media, arranged chronologically in six sub-series. Personal photos (sub-series 1) consist of family photos, snapshots, and portraits. Press photos (sub-series 2) consist of official portraits, events at The White House, events in Wyoming, foreign trips, meetings with Presidents Reagan, Bush Sr., and Clinton, swearing-in ceremonies, etc. Constituent photos (sub-series 3) contain photographs of Simpson with constituents, visitors, school groups, and interns. Photo CDs (sub-series 4) contain constituent, personal, and press photographs. Oversized photos (sub-series 6) include a photo album given to Simpson by the U.S. Border Patrol, personal photos of family, and press photos of Simpson with various presidents and other dignitaries. There are also negatives (sub-series 5) of photos from the Senate photo studio. Photographs can also be found with speeches in series I, in Office Files (series V) oversized materials (sub-series 3), in Personal and Family Papers (series VI) Doris Kooi Reynolds Ephemera (sub-series 3), in Pre-U.S. Senate Activities (series VII) Wyoming Legislative Records (sub-series 2), and in Post-U.S. Senate Activities (series VIII) throughout.

Scope and Content of Series III

Series III contains constituent correspondence, correspondence with VIPs, and issue mail arranged in four sub-series. All correspondence from 1979 to 1995 is on microfilm filmed by the Senate Imaging Center (sub-series 1). From 1979 to June 1994, correspondence was filed chronologically. In July 1994, the Senate changed to an alphabetical system. 1996 correspondence was not filmed (sub-series 2), and is the only year in the collection that exists on paper with the exception of a small amount of miscellaneous correspondence. Also included for 1996 are copies of enclosures sent with constituent letters and batches of issue mail consisting of postcard mailings, form letters, email messages, etc. The Correspondence Management System (CMS) is the computerized system used by Senators to store form letters and form paragraphs for response to most constituent mail. Sub-series 3 contains the CMS library item encyclopedia with form letters used by Simpson's office for constituent mail and records of changes to the form letters over time. Lastly (sub-series 4), there is a 1995 report on constituent communication during the previous year and a correspondence archive on CD from 1979 to 1996. Constituent correspondence can also be found in Series IV, Legislative Records, especially in sub-series 3, Committee Files, and in Series V, Office Files in sub-series 1, labeled as casework. The small number of casework files represented in this series, series IV, and in series V are the only such files received with the papers.

Scope and Content of Series IV

Series IV contains Senator Simpson's legislative records, arranged in seven sub-series. Bill and legislative subject files (sub-series 1) are arranged alphabetically by subject and contain copies of bills, conference and committee reports, correspondence and electronic mail, speeches, and press items. Briefing books (sub-series 2) are arranged chronologically and concern mainly foreign relations conferences and trips. Committee related briefing materials are filed with their respective committees.

Sub-series 3 contains Simpson's office files related to the committees he served on. These files include constituent correspondence, memos, hearings, legislation, notes, press, and speeches. Judiciary Committee files include judicial nominations and confirmations, with the Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court covered in detail. Files labeled “Constituent Correspondence-Wyoming” cover various topics and concern the committee as a whole as well as immigration, patent, and other subcommittees. There is also information regarding an oversight hearing on the Justice Department's Office of Special Investigation's handling of Nazi war criminals living in the U.S. Regulatory reform and courts subcommittee materials are included with those of the Judiciary Committee. The Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Policy files document the legislative history and implementation of Simpson's Immigration Reform and Control Act (also known as the Simpson-Mazzoli bill). Other topics include the annual refugee consultation with administration on the admission of refugees, findings of the Select Commission on Immigration and Refugee Policy (of which Simpson was commissioner), and the Miroslav Medvid political asylum incident.

Veterans Affairs committee materials contain memos to and from legislative assistants and staff, floor updates, constituent correspondence and casework, committee mark-up, hearing statements, and public information on presidential nominees for VA positions. Issues include Agent Orange claims, Persian Gulf War Syndrome, budget and appropriations, defense, health care at VA medical centers, veterans compensation and pension benefits, and Vietnam War POW/MIA live sighting hearings. The Environment and Public Works Committee materials include hearings on infrastructure, funding for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Subcommittee on Nuclear Regulation's investigation into the accident at Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania. The Finance Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy files contain information on the subcommittee's investigation into the business and financial practices of the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), as well as hearings on the issue of social security. Committee Files also include briefing materials regarding the select committee's investigation into the FBI's undercover operation known as ABSCAM, and a few files related to Simpson's work on the Special Committee on Aging.

Floor speeches as published in the Congressional Record are found in sub-series 4. Speeches are arranged by subject, and each subject includes an index with a date and brief description of each speech. Legislative activity reports (sub-series 5) and voting and attendance records (sub-series 6) document Simpson's legislative and voting history. Oversized materials related to topics previously covered are found in sub-series 7.

Scope and Content of Series V

Series V contains Senator Simpson's office files, arranged in three sub-series. Personal, Political, and Official Activities (sub-series 1) contains the bulk of the files in this series. It consists of awards and recognitions, campaign files from 1978, 1984, and 1990 elections, casework, correspondence, daily schedules and itineraries, desk calendars, guest books, honoraria and ethics-related reports, phone logs, travel files, and memorabilia. It also contains the files of the boards he was appointed to. He served on the boards of the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson, Wyoming, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., and the Smithsonian Institution's Board of Regents, as well as various other advisory boards. Information related to the Senator Bob Packwood ethics case, Yellowstone National Park fires and fire policy, Wyoming Town Meetings, and Simpson's Whip duties can be found here as well. There is also a file and poster from the movie “Dave,” in which Simpson had a cameo appearance. Office operations and procedures are documented in sub-series 2, Office Administration Records, and include manuals, policies, and lists of staff and interns. Oversized memorabilia (sub-series 3) includes drawings of Simpson with other historical figures by schoolchildren from Cody, Powell, and Riverton, an interesting wall hanging made from a photograph of Simpson, and two photo albums received from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Republic of China.

Scope and Content of Series VI

Series VI contains personal and family papers arranged in four sub-series. Personal Papers (sub-series 1) contains biographical information, personal correspondence, activities, memorabilia, University of Wyoming yearbooks, and school and law school notebooks. Family Records (sub-series 2) is organized by family member and contains biographical information, clippings, a small amount of correspondence, and family history. Sub-series 3 consists of a collection of ephemera that came from Doris Kooi Reynolds, Simpson's aunt. It was kept separate and intact to preserve its provenance and contains mostly newspaper clippings about Alan Simpson's activities in the senate, his brother Pete's run for Wyoming governor, other family members, and popular issues. It also includes correspondence from Alan Simpson, Milward Simpson, and others, a biography and family history written by Doris about her father Peter Kooi and Kooi Coal Company, photographs, and miscellaneous other ephemeral items. Oversized materials in sub-series 4 include both personal and family-related memorabilia such as news items, certificates, posters, and a football.

Scope and Content of Series VII

Series VII contains records of Simpson's career prior to being elected to the United States Senate. Law Office Files (sub-series 1) contain the case files of persons, families, or groups represented by the law firm of Simpson, Kepler, and Simpson, of Cody, Wyoming. They include correspondence, legal papers, and billing statements. Legislative Records (sub-series 2) are files from Simpson's service in the Wyoming State Legislature. They contain subject files, house bills and senate files, voting records, and general files from each legislative session.

Scope and Content of Series VIII

Series VIII documents Simpson's activities after his retirement from the U.S. Senate in January, 1997. It includes correspondence, press files, ephemera, photographs, schedules and itineraries, speeches, and memorabilia. His tenure at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government as Director of the Institute of Politics and as Lecturer and Laurence M. Lombard Chair is recorded here. Also included are files concerning a lawsuit filed against Simpson and others regarding the Terra Foundation for the Arts.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Restrictions on Use

Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in Collections

The American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our finding aids, catalogs, and collection materials.

Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event. Therefore, we encourage users to bring questions and concerns about descriptions in our finding aids to our attention via email or anonymous web-form. For more information, read our full statement.

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Alan K. Simpson papers are arranged in 8 series. The bulk of the collection is contained in the Press relations/Media activities records (Series I) and the Legislative records (Series IV).

  • Series I. Press Relations/Media Activities RecordsIncludes press relations and media activity records maintained during Simpson's time in office, arranged in seven sub-series.
  • Series II. PhotographsIncludes photographs in black and white, color, and electronic media, arranged chronologically in six sub-series.
  • Series III. Constituent CorrespondenceIncludes constituent correspondence, correspondence with VIPs, and issue mail arranged in four sub-series.
  • Series IV. Legislative RecordsIncludes Senator Simpson's legislative records, arranged in seven sub-series.
  • Series V. Office FilesIncludes Senator Simpson's office files, arranged in three sub-series.
  • Series VI. Personal and Family PapersIncludes personal and family papers arranged in four sub-series.
  • Series VII. Pre-U.S. Senate ActivitiesIncludes records of Simpson's career prior to being elected to the United States Senate.
  • Series VIII. Post-U.S. Senate ActivitiesDocuments Simpson's activities after his retirement from the U.S. Senate in January, 1997.

Related Materials

Television commercials used during Simpson's campaigns for the 1978 and 1990 U.S. senatorial elections can be found at the University of Oklahoma's Political Commercial Archive.

For additional information at the American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming, see:

Milward Simpson papers, Collection number 00026 (Alan Simpson's father) Peter K. Simpson papers, Collection number 10702 (Alan Simpson's brother)

Acquisition Information

Alan K. Simpson donated his papers to the American Heritage Center in several shipments from 1996-2022. The American Heritage Center donated material to the collection in 2024-2025.

Processing Note

Ronda Frazier processed the collection in 2004-2005. It was updated by Mary Ann Meyer (2007), Jamie Greene (2008, 2019, and 2024), Shaun Hayes (2009), Brittany Heye (2026), and Krist Jessup (2016).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List