In 1965, the United States Navy sent him to the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, where he earned an M.A.
in 1967, and a Ph.D. in diplomatic history in 1968, having written a dissertation on "Political Considerations between the United States and the French National Committee, 1942-43.
"[1][2][3] Simpson entered the U.S. Navy in 1956 and served for twenty years, retiring as a lieutenant commander in 1977.
In 1996, Simpson was appointed Professor at the Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol, Rhode Island.
[6] Simpson lived in Newport, Rhode Island with his wife of 51 years, Wilma, with whom he had two daughters, Fiona and Isla.