CODY, Wyo. - Former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson has died in Cody. He was 93.Simpson's death was announced Friday morning in a press release issued by the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyo. Simpson was a former chairman of the Centers Board of Trustees and a 56-year board member of the institution. U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) issued the following statement Friday morning regarding Simpson:Wyoming lost one of its most beloved and fiercest champions today. Al Simpson is known for his devoted lifelong service and unparalleled sense of humor. Whether serving in the United States Army, the Wyoming House of Representatives, or the United States Senate, his commitment and contributions made a consequential difference. While others ran from tough issues, Al embraced the opportunity to solve them. He cherished every fight to do what he thought was right. He was a mentor and a dear friend.Als incredible legacy will influence generations to come. My prayers are with his wife Ann, their children Bill, Colin and Sue, and their entire family.Click here to read The Associated Press report of Simpson's death.Here's the full press release from the Buffalo Bill Center of the West:CODY, WYO. The staff, Trustees and Advisors of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West are mourning the loss of Alan K. Simpson, 93, a former chairman of the Centers Board of Trustees, 56-year board member and ardent supporter of the institution.Simpson died today in Cody, surrounded by family and friends after struggling to recover from a broken hip in December. Family members said his recovery was hindered by complications from frostbite to his left foot approximately five years ago. As a result, Simpsons left leg was amputated below the knee as an unavoidable medical necessity.Its impossible to overstate the contributions Al Simpson made to the Center of the West, to the community of Cody and to Wyoming and the country, said Rebecca West, the Centers CEO and Executive Director.Few people have ever done as much for the Center of the West. He ranks alongside William F. Buffalo Bill Cody as someone who has embodied the spirit of the American West and the essence of the town of Cody, she said.Al Simpsons immeasurable devotion, loyalty, generosity and dedication have been the bedrock foundation we have all collaborated to build on for more than half a century, both here at the museum and in the wider Cody community, West said. We owe him a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid, and we will forever celebrate and benefit from the amazing and unparalleled legacy he leaves behind.Simpson joined the Centers Board of Trustees in 1968 and was instrumental in bringing the Winchester Collection to Cody and helping build the Center into the Smithsonian of the West. He served as Chairman from 19922011, and continued as a Trustee until 2024, when he reluctantly stepped down. He remained active in the affairs of his cherished museum.He served as a U.S. senator for Wyoming from Jan. 1979Jan. 1997, including as Senate Majority Whip from 19851987. Before that, Simpson represented Cody in the Wyoming House of Representatives from Jan. 1965Jan. 1977. Beloved by colleagues and constituents for his plain-spoken candor, irrepressible sense of humor and ability to forge bipartisan alliances, Simpson remained active in civic life after leaving the Senate.He served as co-chair in 2010 on President Obamas bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, along with Erskine Bowles, who was previously head of the Small Business Administration and served as President Clintons chief of staff. The two remained friends, and Bowles visited Simpson in Cody earlier this year.In 2022, Simpson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Biden. He advocated for campaign finance reform, comprehensive immigration reform, civic discourse and national debt reduction, as well as numerous local and national charitable causes.He was an uncommonly generous man, said Pete Simpson, 94, Al Simpsons older brother. And I mean generous in an absolutely unconditional way. Giving of his time, giving of his energyand he did it in politics and he did it in the family, forever.The elder Simpson said he could see leadership traits in his younger brother as far back as their grade school days and admired his self-assurance in winning a Senate seat.I thought, Where did he get that confidence? But in the long run, I really wasnt surprised, he said.What I really admired was his independence of spirit, Pete Simpson said. Nothing put him in a position where hed have to simply give up a principle or be less than who he was going to be.Hes the most valuable, closest friend Ive ever had, in the sense of being a source of inspiration, support, encouragement and love, he said. We were both lucky and blessed. Both of us.He was gifted in crossing party lines and building bipartisan consensus, said Colin Simpson, one of Alan and Ann Simpsons three adult children, who all reside in Cody. He would relate to legislative colleagues in a manner that allowed them to feel valued and listened to without being taken advantage of.At the same time, Simpson was formidable and people knew it, Colin Simpson said. But he was also vulnerable because he spoke from the heart.Dad and Pete have anchored the extended Simpson family for decades with the same love, humor, compassion and dedication their parents did before them. Dad was a mighty force and with Moms steady hand by his side we are so blessed and proud to have been along for the ride of a lifetime, he said.Ann Simpson said Al loved the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, and was dedicated to the museum, Cody, and his countless friends (some of whom he had not met yet), as well as colleagues in Wyoming and around the world. She expressed deep gratitude to all those who have reached out with love and concern for them both. Cody is a giving back the love Al and I have shared with our wonderful town over the years. Were so grateful for the opportunity to spend these last years in Als hometown of Codywe had always planned to return here, she said.Al and Ann Simpson celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary with their children, extended family and several hundred friends in June 2024 by hosting an ice cream social for the community in Codys downtown City Park.A memorial service will be held at a time and date to be determined at Christ Episcopal Church in Cody, with a reception to follow at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Center of the West, Spirit Mountain Hospice House and the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation.Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation issued this statement Friday morning:Heart Mountain honors the life and legacy of Senator Alan K. SimpsonThe Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, which benefited for decades from the help of Senator Alan Kooi Simpson, mourns his passing after a life of accomplishment, wit and wisdom.Simpson, 92, died Friday in Cody, Wyo., just miles from the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center and Mineta-Simpson Institute, the conference center dedicated to preserving the values displayed in public life by Simpson and Secretary Norman Mineta. The two men first as Boy Scouts at Heart Mountain in 1943 and remained friends until Minetas death in 2022.Heart Mountain leaders called Simpson a dedicated public servant whose advice and counsel was critical to the organizations creation and success:Al has always been a mentor, supporter and inspiration to me throughout my tenure at the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation, said Board Chair Shirley Ann Higuchi. His constant support, advice and encouragement inspired me to take Heart Mountain to the highest possible level.I believe him to be nothing less than one of the wisest, wittiest, best informed, most honest, most principled, most patriotic, most courageous, most farseeing, and most honorable men to grace our nations public life in the last half century, said Douglas Nelson, vice chair of the Heart Mountain board."It is difficult to imagine a Wyoming without Al, or a world without Al, said Heart Mountain Executive Director Aura Sunada Newlin. This great man will forever be cherished by his Heart Mountain family and held high as our model by which integrity is measured."Last July, Heart Mountain opened the Mineta-Simpson Institute, which includes an exhibit dedicated to the lives of Simpson and Mineta. Despite their differences in background and political parties, they believed the best way for our nation to thrive is by working together to help solve the nations difficult challenges. ...read more read less