Frank T. Simpson House

An important historic home constructed in 1913 is the Dr. Frank T. Simpson House, which may be found in Hartford, Connecticut, at 27 Keney Terrace. Remarkably, Frank T. Simpson, a well-known figure in the mid-1900s civil rights movement in Connecticut, once called this fine example of Tudor Revival architecture his home. Established in 1993, the home is a contributing property in the Upper Albany Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Dr. Frank T. Simpson (1907-1974) was born in Florence, Alabama. In 1929, following his graduation from Mississippi’s Tougaloo College, he relocated to Hartford. Dr. Simpson was awarded an honorary doctorate by Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, and two master’s degrees from the Hartford Seminary Foundation.

Simpson’s initial civil rights efforts in Hartford began with his role at the Independent Social Worker, a North Hartford agency. On January 19, 1944, he became the first paid staff member of the newly formed Connecticut Inter-Racial Commission, one of the nation’s first state civil rights commissions. Established in 1943 by the General Assembly through House Bill 1361, sponsored by future Hartford mayor William H. Mortensen, the Commission was initially led by Reverend Walter H. Gray, who later became Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Connecticut. In 1951, the agency was renamed the Connecticut Commission on Civil Rights, and in 1967, it became the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities.

This property is privately owned and not open to the public.