Howard Woodworth Simpson (8 May 1892 – 4 November 1963) was a pioneering American automotive engineer whose numerous groundbreaking inventions and designs have been extensively used by most automobile manufacturers across the globe in automatic transmissions.
Simpson graduated from Detroit Central High School in 1910 and entered an apprenticeship program at Cadillac Motor Company.
The use of largely identical parts for the front and rear gearset made the transmission substantially cheaper to manufacture by reducing tooling costs.
In the early 1950s Simpson attempted to sell his patent to major American automakers in Detroit, but was greeted with skepticism, despite his experience and positive reputation.
General Motors was reluctant to adopt this gearset, but eventually relented and licensed it for the Turbo Hydramatic, which entered production for the 1964 model year.
During his lifetime he was granted a total of 41 patents, which eventually resulted in millions of dollars of royalty payments to him and his estate.