From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American politician
John Simpson
(died January 22, 1813)
[2]
was a
United States Army
officer, attorney, and politician. Simpson saw military action in both the
Northwest Indian War
and the
War of 1812
. He also served 4 terms in the
Kentucky House of Representatives
including 2 years as the House's Speaker. In 1812 he was elected to the
United States House of Representatives
but died before he could take office.
Early life
[
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]
Simpson was born in
Virginia
and moved to
Kentucky
with his family as a child during the 1780s.
[3]
They settled in
Lincoln County
[4]
and Simpson would attend school in first
Danville
and then
Bardstown
.
[5]
Northwest Indian War
[
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]
During the war Simpson volunteered for the
Legion of the United States
under the command of Gen.
Anthony Wayne
. He participated in the final skirmish of war; the
Battle of Fallen Timbers
[6]
but did not see battle as he stayed behind to guard supplies.
[3]
Political career
[
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]
After the war Simpson moved to
Shelby County, Kentucky
where he would study law and become one of Shelby County's first attorneys.
[7]
He went on to be elected to the
Kentucky House of Representatives
representing Shelby County. He was elected to 4 consecutive terms from 1806 to 1811.
[6]
He was elected Speaker of the House from 1810 to 1811; defeating
Samuel South
and William MacMillan.
[8]
In 1812 he was elected to the
United States House of Representatives
from the newly created
8th District
of Kentucky. Although the 8th district had just been formed he defeated incumbent
Stephen Ormsby
who had been redistricted from the
3rd
. He defeated Ormsby by a 'small margin'.
[9]
Before taking his seat the
War of 1812
broke out and Simpson rejoined the army. Ormsby would later win a special election to be his replacement.
[10]
War of 1812
[
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]
During the
War of 1812
Simpson once again volunteered for service. On August 15, 1812
[1]
he joined the First Rifle Regiment using his political clout to become the
Captain
of the regiment's third company.
[5]
Under the command of
Col. John Allen
his regiment helped reinforce
Gen. Hull
in
Detroit
.
[4]
He participated in the
Battle of River Raisin
on January 22, 1813. He joined the battle during a British counterattack while the regular soldiers where retreating to the river. While his company only lost one soldier during its first engagement
[11]
he was killed early into the retreat.
[1]
In September 1834 human remains believed to be his were exhumed and returned to
Kentucky
. However, they have never been positively identified. He is also believed to have been reburied in the
Frankfort Cemetery
in
Frankfort, Kentucky
but the exact location is unknown.
[3]
Legacy
[
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]
John Simpson is the namesake of both
Simpsonville, Kentucky
and
Simpson County, Kentucky
.
[5]
Fourth street of
Shelbyville, Kentucky
was also once named Simpson street in his honor.
[12]
See also
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Clift, Garrett (1961).
Remember the Raisin! Kentucky and Kentuckians in the battles and massacre at Frenchtown, Michigan Territory, in the War of 1812
. Kentucky Historical Society. pp. 64?65, 212, 163.
ISBN
9780806345208
.
- ^
The Biographical Dictionary of America
, p. 156
- ^
a
b
c
Nicky Hughes (November 4, 2019).
Capt. John Simpson
. Simpsonville, KY: Shelby County Historical Society
. Retrieved
November 11,
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Collins, Lewis; Collins, Richard H. (1998).
History of Kentucky
. Genealogical Publishing Com. p. 722.
ISBN
9780806345642
.
- ^
a
b
c
Talbott, Tim.
"County Named, 1819"
.
explorekyhistory.ky.gov
. ExploreKYHistory
. Retrieved
July 7,
2017
.
- ^
a
b
Sanders.
"Captain John Simpson"
.
explorekyhistory.ky.gov
. ExploreKYHistory
. Retrieved
July 7,
2017
.
- ^
Willis, George Lee (1979) [First published 1929]. Willis, George Lee (ed.).
The History of Shelby County
(PDF)
. Utica, KY: Cook & McDowell Publications. p. 249.
ISBN
0806346469
. Retrieved
February 16,
2018
.
- ^
"Kentucky 1810 Speaker of the House"
.
elections.lib.tufts.edu
. Tufts. January 11, 2012
. Retrieved
July 7,
2017
.
- ^
"Kentucky 1812 U.S. House of Representatives, District 8"
.
elections.lib.tufts.edu
. Tufts. January 11, 2012
. Retrieved
July 7,
2017
.
- ^
"ORMSBY, Stephen, (1759–1844)"
.
bioguide.congress.gov
. Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
. Retrieved
July 7,
2017
.
- ^
Atherton, William (1842).
"Narrative of the Suffering and Defeat of the North-western Army"
.
canadachannel.ca
. Canada Channel.
Archived
from the original on October 27, 2021
. Retrieved
October 27,
2021
.
- ^
Shinnick, Ed D (1980).
Some Old Time History of Shelbyville and Shelby County
. Owensboro, KY: McDowell Publications. p. 38.
ASIN
B0006XPVOG
.
LCCN
86158724
. Retrieved
February 19,
2018
.
External links
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Origins
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battles
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Involvement
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