Reverend James B. Simpson

James B. Simpson (1927-2002) was a journalist, author and Episcopal priest, best known for writing several volumes of Simpson’s Contemporary Quotations, a set of books of quotations. His work continues to be a trusted and recognized favorite among journalists, scholars, academics and quote enthusiasts.

Born the youngest son of an undertaker, Simpson was a native of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Simpson would joke that his love for quotes was perhaps genetic since his mother—who died when he was just an infant—would also highlight her favorite passages and clip articles from newspapers and magazines just like the hobby that her son developed.

His childhood hometown was also where he first began his journalism career. Once finished with high school, he wrote for the local newspaper, the Southwest American.

Subsequently, Simpson attended the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University near Chicago where he continued his study the subject. During this time, his love for quotes began to blossom. Simpson took a sociology course which provided the inspirational backdrop to collecting contemporary quotations as he has likened the art of archiving quotes to “a sociology project.” When he was a senior in college, he even asked his parents for Bartlett's Familiar Quotations for Christmas one year.

Upon graduation from Northwestern in 1949, Simpson embarked on a career in journalism by writing for the Associated Press and United Press International. He spent his summers working in newsrooms in cities across the country such as Chicago and San Francisco before ultimately settling in New York. Besides his domestic travels, he also reported internationally from London, Lagos, Moscow, Tokyo, and Beijing.

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