Simpson, William Dunlap, 1823-1890

Confederate Army officer and Congressman, governor, and chief justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court.

From the description of Papers, 1798-1914 ; (bulk 1852-1878). (Duke University Library). WorldCat record id: 20159078

William Dunlap Simpson, lawyer of Laurens, S.C., served during the Civil War with the 14th S. C. Volunteers and in the Confederate Congress. In 1876, he was S.C. lieutenant governor, and, in 1878, was acting governor until he became chief justice of the state Supreme Court in 1880. He marrried Jane E. Young, daughter of Henry Clinton Young (b. 1794), lawyer of Laurens, and Lucy Melissa Young (1802-1874). William and Jane's children included William Dunlap, Jr., and Ernest, both lawyers, and John W., banker of Spartanburg, S.C., Greensboro, N.C., and Tennessee. John W. Simpson married Mabel Donald Fleming in 1895.

From the description of William Dunlap Simpson papers, 1819-1951 [manuscript]. WorldCat record id: 32529741

William Dunlap Simpson of Laurens, S.C., was the son of Dr. John W. Simpson. He was graduated from South Carolina College in 1843. He studied law with and became the partner and son-in-law of Henry Clinton Young of Laurens.

Simpson served in the state legislature, and, during the Civil War, was aide to M. L. Bonham, on active duty as lieutenant colonel with the 14th South Carolina Volunteers, and member of the Confederate Congress in 1863. After the war, he practiced law at Laurens and ran successfully for lieutenant governor, with running mate Wade Hampton, in 1876 and 1878. During his second term, he served as acting governor, and, in August 1880, before the expiration of his term, was named chief justice of the state Supreme Court.

Simpson married Jane E. Young, daughter of Henry Clinton Young (b. 1794), lawyer of Laurens, S.C., and Lucy Melissa Young (1802-1874), daughter of John M. and Jennie Nisbet Young of Iredell County, N.C. William and Jane's children included William Dunlap, Jr., and Ernest, both lawyers, and John W., who was a banker in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. John W. Simpson married Mabel Donald Fleming on 25 September 1895 in Spartanburg, S.C.

From the guide to the William Dunlap Simpson Papers, 1819-1951, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.)