Representative James Simpson

James Simpson Jr. was an American politician who represented the state of Illinois in the United States House of Representatives during the early 1930s. Born on December 21, 1905, in Chicago, Illinois, he was a member of a prominent Chicago family with longstanding ties to business and public affairs. Growing up in a major Midwestern industrial and commercial center during a period of rapid urban growth, he was exposed early to the economic and social issues that would later shape his public career and legislative interests.

Simpson received his early education in the schools of Chicago, where he came of age during the years surrounding the First World War and the economic transformations of the 1920s. His education prepared him for both business and public service at a time when Chicago was emerging as one of the nation’s most important commercial hubs. Although detailed records of his formal higher education are limited in the public record, his subsequent professional and political activities reflected the background of a well-educated urban Republican steeped in the civic and commercial life of Illinois.

Before entering national politics, Simpson established himself in professional and civic affairs in Illinois, aligning with the Republican Party, which was then a dominant force in much of the state’s politics. His family and professional connections in Chicago’s business community helped position him for elective office at a time when the Great Depression was reshaping both the economy and the political landscape. As economic hardship deepened after the stock market crash of 1929, Simpson’s Republican affiliation placed him within a party grappling with how to respond to unprecedented unemployment, bank failures, and social dislocation.

Simpson’s congressional career began when he was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives from Illinois, serving one term in the Seventy-third Congress. He took office on March 4, 1933, at the very outset of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration and the launch of the New Deal. His service in Congress, from March 4, 1933, to January 3, 1935, occurred during a significant period in American history, as the federal government dramatically expanded its role in economic recovery and social welfare. As a member of the House of Representatives, James Simpson participated in the democratic process and contributed to the legislative work of this transformative era, representing the interests of his Illinois constituents while the nation debated banking reform, public works, agricultural relief, and industrial recovery measures.

During his term, Simpson served as part of the Republican minority in a Congress dominated by Democrats who were advancing Roosevelt’s New Deal agenda. Within this context, he took part in deliberations over emergency economic legislation and broader structural reforms intended to stabilize the financial system and provide relief to the unemployed. Although the detailed record of his individual votes and sponsored measures is limited in standard reference sources, it is clear that he was engaged in the legislative process at a moment when Congress was central to redefining the relationship between the federal government, the economy, and the American people. His single term reflected both the volatility of Depression-era politics and the challenges faced by Republicans seeking to shape or respond to sweeping Democratic initiatives.

After leaving Congress on January 3, 1935, Simpson’s direct role in national legislative affairs came to an end, but he remained part of the broader Republican and civic milieu of Illinois. His post-congressional years unfolded against the backdrop of continued economic recovery efforts, the approach of the Second World War, and ongoing debates over the legacy of the New Deal. While specific details of his later professional activities are not extensively documented in widely available public sources, his background as a businessman and former congressman suggests continued engagement with public and commercial life in Chicago and Illinois.

James Simpson Jr. died on February 29, 1960, in Evanston, Illinois, a suburban community just north of Chicago. His life spanned a period of profound change in the United States, from the Progressive Era through the Great Depression and into the postwar age. Remembered in the historical record as a Republican U.S. Representative from Illinois who served one term in Congress from 1933 to 1935, Simpson’s career reflects the experience of many legislators whose service coincided with, and helped to shape, one of the most consequential periods in American political and economic history.