Bobby Simpson

Who is Bobby Simpson?

Bobby Ray Simpson is an educator who served as the Republican Mayor-President, a combined municipal-parish office of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, from 2001–2004. Earlier, he was the mayor of the small city of Baker east of Baton Rouge in East Baton Rouge Parish, having served from 1992–2000.

In 2001, Simpson succeeded the retiring Tom Ed McHugh as Mayor-President by defeating Melvin "Kip" Holden, an African American Democrat in the 2000 general election. Holden then unseated Simpson in 2004 and was easily reelected in the nonpartisan blanket primary in 2008. Simpson did not seek a comeback; instead Holden was opposed by two other Republican candidates, Metro council member Wayne Carter and the former Louisiana legislative auditor and Louisiana State University professor Dan Kyle.

A native of East Baton Rouge Parish, Simpson graduated from Baker High School in 1971 and holds bothbachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from LSU in Baton Rouge. He is a nonpracticing Certified Public Accountant. Simpson and his wife, the former Allison Windham, have four children.