Matthew Simpson
Matthew Simpson Born 21 June 1811 (1811-06-21) Cadiz, Ohio Died 18 June 1884 (1884-06-19) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Matthew Simpson (20 June 1811 – 18 June 1884), was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1852 and based mostly in Chicago. During the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War, most evangelical denominations in the North, especially the Methodists, were strong supporters of Radical policies that favored the Freedmen (former slaves) and distrusted the Southern whites. Bishop Simpson played a leading role in mobilizing the Northern Methodists for the cause. His biographer calls him the "High Priest of the Radical Republicans."