Senate Judiciary Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., right, shakes hands with Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo., after the committee voted not to recommend the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork, during a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 7, 1987. Standing behind, from left center are Sens. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., back to camera, and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. Simpson has died at age 93. John Duricka, Associated Press
Kevin Lind
By Kevin Lind
Kevin is a staff writer on the Ideas and Culture team covering the Intermountain West.

Alan Simpson, the former three-term U.S. senator from Wyoming known for his humor, plain-speech and willingness to work through partisan differences, died in hospice care in Cody, Wyoming. He was 93 years old.

“Al Simpson was an amazing friend, an incredible statesman, a thoughtful courageous politician, and a wonderful human being who brought humor, wisdom, and razor-sharp insight to any situation,” wrote Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon. “Wyoming has lost a true light.”

He was a member of the prolific and influential Wyoming Simpson family and the second son of Milward Simpson, a well-known lawyer and one-time governor of Wyoming. Following a struggle to recover from a hip broken in December, he died “surrounded by his family and friends” early Friday morning, according to a published statement from his family and The Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

The Senate Budget Committee hears testimony from the co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, former Sen. Alan Simpson, right, and former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles, left, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 8, 2011. | J. Scott Applewhite, Associated Press

Simpson was a gigantic figure in American politics both figuratively and literally, standing 6-foot-7 and wearing size 15 shoes. He was first elected to public office in 1964 as a member of the Wyoming House of Representatives, where he served until 1977. The following year he was elected to the U.S. Senate, which was a seat he held for 18 years until 1997, which included a decade-long run as Republican Whip. In 1985, he worked closely with democratic colleagues to put together the Immigration Reform and Control Act, which is lauded today as a benchmark of bipartisan cooperation. In 2022, Simpson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Joe Biden.

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Former President George W. Bush wrote that he “was one of the finest public servants ever to have graced our nation’s capital,” in a statement released Friday. Bush quoted the eulogy Simpson gave for his father to celebrate the “humble, funny, strong man” he was. “Those who travel the high road of humility in Washington, D.C., are not bothered by heavy traffic.”

He was known for his folksy language and acerbic wit. During negotiations over The Clean Air Act in 1990, he referred to his democratic colleague, Henry Waxman, as being “tougher than a boiled owl.” Another time, he said that “we have two political parties in this country, the Stupid Party and the Evil Party. I belong to the Stupid Party.”

While he believed that “humor is the universal solvent against the abrasive elements of life,” he also said that “telling the truth is the essence of leadership. If you have integrity, nothing else matters. And if you don’t have integrity, nothing else matters.”

Simpson is survived by his wife Ann, whom he was married to for 70 years; brother Peter; and children William, Colin and Susan; as well as grandchildren.

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Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, D-Del., center, sits between Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., left, and Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., as he speaks at the Judiciary meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, August 1, 1989. The committee refused to recommend confirmation of William Lucas as the nation's top civil rights enforcer. Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, right and Alan Simpson, R-Wyo., center, are in foreground. | John Duricka, Associated Press
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Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee confer during hearings before the committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 12, 1991 to investigate the allegations of sexual harassment by Clarence Thomas brought by Anita Hill. From left are: Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, Alan Simpson, R-Wyo, Arlen Specter, R-Pa., Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Strom Thurmond, R-S.C. | John Duricka, Associated Press
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Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger chats with Senate majority Leader Howard Baker of Tenn. and members of the Senate prior to a closed secret briefing on the MX missile on Capitol Hill in Washington on Friday, Oct. 2, 1981. From left are: Weinberger; Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; Alan Simpson, R-Wyo.; Jake Garn, R-Utah; Baker and Mack Mattingly, R-Ga. | Ira Schwarz, Associated Press
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Debt Commission co-chairmen Erskine Bowles, left, and former Wyoming Sen. Alan Simpson speak during a meeting of the commission on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010. | Alex Brandon, Associated Press
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Republican congressional members hold a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Aug. 12, 1994, to discuss the crime bill and health reform. From left are Senate Minority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas; Rep. Bill McCollum, R-Fla., obscured; Senate Minority Whip Alan Simpson of Wyo.; Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah; House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich of Georgia.; Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa; and Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C. | John Duricka, Associated Press
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Former Sen. Alan Simpson, R-Wyo, speaks during the State Funeral for former President George H.W. Bush at the National Cathedral, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, in Washington. | Andrew Harnik, Associated Press
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Alan Simpson, co-chairman of the president's deficit reduction commission, leaves the White House in Washington, April 14, 2011, after a meeting with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office. Simpson has died at age 93. | Carolyn Kaster, Associated Press
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President Joe Biden awards the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to retired U.S. senator from Wyoming Alan Simpson during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, July 7, 2022. Simpson has died at age 93. | Susan Walsh, Associated Press
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A Jan. 8, 1979 photo of Sen. Alan K. Simpson, R-Wyo. Simpson has died at age 93. | Associated Press
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