Editing Matthew Simpson (section)

{{short description|American bishop and academic}}
{{about|the 19th-century American bishop|the Brisbane Bears player|Matthew Simpson (footballer)}}
{{similar names|Matt Simpson (disambiguation){{!}}Matt Simpson}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox person
|name=Matthew Simpson
|image=Matthew Simpson - Brady-Handy.jpg
|caption=
|birth_date={{Birth-date|June 21, 1811}} 
|birth_place=Cadiz, Ohio 
|nationality = American
|occupation  = Pastor
|death_date ={{death date and age|1884|6|18|1811|6|21}} 
|death_place=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
|signature = Signature of Matthew Simpson (1811–1884).png
}}

'''Matthew Simpson''' (June 21, 1811 – June 18, 1884) was an American bishop of the [[Methodist Episcopal Church]], elected in 1852 and based mainly in Philadelphia. During the [[Reconstruction Era]] after the Civil War, most evangelical denominations in the North, especially the Methodists, were initially strong supporters of radical policies that favored the Freedmen (former slaves) and distrusted the Southern whites. However, by the late 1860s in border state conferences, the MEC North moved well away from their work with the Freedmen's Bureau and often sided with the grievances of Southern white members. 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]]."<ref>Robert D.  Clark, ''The Life of Matthew Simpson'' (1956) pp. 245–267</ref>