Background
He was born in Essendon to furniture retailer William Simpson and his wife Helen.
He was born in Essendon to furniture retailer William Simpson and his wife Helen.
He attended state schools and worked as a rouseabout at shearing sheds from 1944 to 1947 and then as a french polisher from 1948 to 1955.
From 1955 to 1976 he managed the family furniture business at Moonee Ponds. He also had a career in the Victorian Football League, playing for Essendon from 1949 to 1951. He had joined the Australian Labor Party in 1961, and in 1976 he was elected to the Victorian Legislative Assembly for Niddrie.
In 1977 he became Shadow Minister for Public Works, moving to Police and Emergency Services in 1979.
He stepped down from the front bench in 1985 and retired in 1988.