Born in Kissimmee, Florida, Simpson served in the United States Army, as a 1st Lt., in the European Theater from 1943 to 1945.
[1] Simpson was nominated by President Harry S Truman on September 14, 1950, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida vacated by Judge Louie Willard Strum.
[1] Simpson was nominated by President Lyndon B. Johnson on October 11, 1966, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, to a new seat created by 80 Stat.
He was reassigned by operation of law on October 1, 1981, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
[citation needed] The John Milton Bryan Simpson United States Courthouse in Jacksonville in named in his honor.