Former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson has died after struggling to recover from a broken hip. The Republican political giant passed early Friday after sustaining the debilitating injury in December, his family said in a statement. Simpson, who was 6 feet 7 inches, was famous for his wit. “We have two political parties in this country, the Stupid Party and the Evil Party. I belong to the Stupid Party,” he once said. The Buffalo Bill Center of the West, a museum center in Wyoming where Simpson was a board member for 56 years, said he passed “surrounded by family and friends.” The statement added that his recovery was hindered by “complications from frostbite to his left foot” five years ago. Simpson’s left leg was amputated below the knee as a result. In 2022, Simpson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by former President Joe Biden. “Dad and Pete [his older brother] have anchored the extended Simpson family for decades with the same love, humor, compassion, and dedication their parents did before them,” his son, Colin Simpson, said.
