2019 -- S 0881

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2019

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

EXPRESSING CONDOLENCES ON THE PASSING OF THE HONORABLE B. MITCHELL

SIMPSON, III

     Introduced By: Senator Dawn M. Euer

     Date Introduced: May 21, 2019

     Referred To: Placed on the Senate Consent Calendar

     WHEREAS, The Honorable B. Mitchell “Tony” Simpson, III, passed away on May 9,

2019, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was the beloved husband of Wilma Simpson for fifty-one

years; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Simpson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Marshall and B.

Mitchell Simpson, II. He graduated with honors from Colgate University with a Bachelor’s

degree and, shortly thereafter, attained a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania; and

     WHEREAS, Upon graduation, Mr. Simpson joined the United States Navy where he

served our nation with honor and distinction for twenty years aboard five ships, including the

USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the USS Perry. During his distinguished service, Mr. Simpson

earned three degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, a

Master in Arts degree (MA), a Masters in Law and Diplomacy degree (MALD), and a Ph.D. He

was a highly esteemed member of the faculty of the United States Naval War College between

1970 and 1977, and retired from active duty as a Lieutenant Commander; and

     WHEREAS, Upon his retirement from the United States Navy, Mr. Simpson remained at

the Naval War College for three years as an Advanced Research Scholar and wrote a well-

received and highly-regarded biography of United States Admiral Harold R. Stark. He

subsequently returned to his law practice and furthered his academic and historical research and

studies. Throughout his exemplary professional and scholarly career, he wrote several books and

published numerous articles on topics as diverse as naval strategy, history and law. In 1996, he

was appointed Professor at the Roger Williams University School of Law; and

     WHEREAS, Mr. Simpson also had a distinguished public service career. From 1982 to

1986, he was the Assistant Town Solicitor for the Town of Middletown, and from 1989 to 1992,

he was the Assistant Minority Counsel for the Rhode Island House of Representatives. He was

elected to the Newport City Council in 1988, and for eight years, between 1988 and 1996, he

served the City’s third Ward with honor, integrity and tireless service. Since 1986, he also served

as Corporation Counsel and Senior Warden for Trinity Church in Newport, as a Trustee and

Trustee Emeritus of the Pennfield School, and was the Co-Founder of the Fiesta Italiana; and

     WHEREAS, In addition to his wife, Mr. Simpson leaves behind his daughters, Fiona and

Isla, his sons-in-law Robert and Steven, and his three grandchildren; and

     WHEREAS, The Honorable B. Mitchell Simpson, III, was a patriot, a scholar and a

devoted family man. He will forever be remembered for his public service to our nation, the State

of Rhode Island and the citizens of Newport, and for his scholarship and impeccable writing

skills, his distinguished teaching and legal career, and, most importantly, the love and devotion he

provided to his family as a son, husband, father, and grandfather. He will be sorely missed but

will live on forever in the memory of all who knew him and loved him; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

hereby expresses its condolences to the Simpson Family on the passing of the Honorable B.

Mitchell Simpson, III; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Mrs. Wilma M. Simpson.

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