Ken Simpler
Treasurer of Delaware
In office
January 6, 2015 – January 1, 2019
GovernorJack Markell
John Carney
Preceded byChip Flowers
Succeeded byColleen Davis
Personal details
Born
Kenneth Alvin Simpler, Jr.[1]

(1967-07-15) July 15, 1967
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpouseElizabeth Russell[2]
Children3
EducationPrinceton University (BA)
University of Delaware (MPA)
University of Chicago (JD, MBA)

Kenneth A. Simpler is an American politician. He was Delaware State Treasurer from 2015 to 2019. He is the last Republican to win a statewide race in Delaware.

Education

Simpler attended high school at St. Andrew's School in Middletown, Delaware. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political economy at Princeton University.[3] While in college, he was charged in an incident where 45 students were sent to the Princeton infirmary or local hospital for alcohol-induced medical problems, including one student who was in a coma for 24 hours. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail for his role in hosting parties where alcohol was served to minors.[4]

Simpler earned a Master of Business Administration and a Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago. He was owner and chief financial officer of Seaboard Hotels and managing director at Citadel LLC. He worked as a corporate attorney at Kirkland & Ellis and has served on the board of directors of Draper Holdings, the parent company of WBOC and Fox 21.[3]

While serving as Delaware State Treasurer, Simpler enrolled at the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration at the University of Delaware to pursue a Master of Public Administration. After leaving office, he completed the degree in February 2020.[5]

Political career

Simpler was elected Delaware State Treasurer on November 4, 2014, and took office on January 6, 2015.[6] In the 2018 elections, he was defeated in his reelection campaign by Democrat Colleen Davis.[7] His defeat was one of several losses for prominent Republicans in Delaware in 2018[8][7] and as of 2023 establishes him as the most recent Republican to serve statewide.

Electoral history

Delaware Treasurer Republican Primary Election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ken Simpler 13,491 53.9
Republican Cheryl Valenzuela 11,549 46.1
Delaware Treasurer Election, 2014
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ken Simpler 123,105 53.6
Democratic Sean Barney 100,218 43.6
Green David Chandler 6,373 2.8
Delaware Treasurer Election, 2018
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ken Simpler 164,001 45.9
Democratic Colleen Davis 187,240 52.4
Green David Chandler 6,301 1.8

References

  1. ↑ https://publicunionfacts.com/state-candidate/16250038/simpler-jr-kenneth-alvin
  2. ↑ https://leadershipdelaware.org/teams/ken-simpler/
  3. 1 2 "Ken's Background". Official campaign website. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  4. ↑ Hevesi, Dennis (May 26, 1988). "2 at Princeton Get Jail Terms For Roles in Pledge Drinking". New York Times.
  5. ↑ "Home". kensimpler.com.
  6. ↑ "About Kenneth Simpler". State of Delaware. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Smith, Jerry (November 6, 2018). "Democrat Colleen Davis takes state treasurer race over Ken Simpler". The News Journal.
  8. ↑ Schmidt, Sophia (November 7, 2018). "State House and Senate Minority Whips ousted by Democratic challengers". Delaware Public Media.


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