Dick Simpson (politician)

Dick Simpson
Simpson in 2019
Chicago Alderman from the 44th Ward
In office
1971–1979
Preceded byWilliam Singer
Succeeded byBruce Young
Personal details
Born1940 (age 83–84)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Texas at Austin
Indiana University (PhD)
ProfessionProfessor, author, politician, activist, political consultant, filmmaker

Dick Weldon Simpson (born 1940) is an American professor, author, politician, activist, political consultant, and filmmaker who formerly served as a Chicago alderman from 1971 through 1979.

Simpson is considered to be a progressive.[1] An independent associated with the lakefront liberals during his time on the Chicago City Council, he ran in 1992 and 1994, unsuccessfully, as a challenger to incumbent Democrat Dan Rostenkowski in that party's primary for Illinois's 5th congressional district.

From 1967 until 2022, Simpson was a professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. From 2006 until 2012, he served as the head of the university's political science department. Simpson has also worked on political campaigns and as a government advisor. He has written an extensive amount of published material on the subject of government and politics.

  1. ^ Caine, Paul (11 January 2018). "Dick Simpson on His Life as a Chicago Progressive". WTTW News. Retrieved 2 June 2020.