Esther Simpson
(1903-1996)

Died aged 93

Esther Simpson OBE (31 July 1903 – 19 November 1996) was an English humanitarian who was the Assistant Secretary, later Secretary, of the Academic Assistance Council (AAC) and its successor organisations from 1933 until 1978. She worked tirelessly throughout her life to establish work and connections for refugee academics. Her work on behalf of some of the world's greatest scientific minds fleeing persecution combined affection with toughness. Refugees she helped during the Second World War included 16 future Nobel Prize winners, 74 future Fellows of the Royal Society and 34 future Fellows of the British Academy. She described her work as the "academic equivalent of the kindertransport programme". She was awarded the OBE at Buckingham Palace in 1956 and received honorary degrees from the University of London and the University of Leeds in 1981 and 1989 respectively. Esther Simpson, known as Tess to her friends, was best known for being a devoted lobbyist and organiser for the Academic Assistance Council. Working closely with scholarly immigrants such as Leo Szilard, she assisted hundreds of refugee academics during and after World War II and enabled them to obtain work positions all over the world. She worked with several organisations to promote the acceptance of refugees under the tensions that arose from the Nazi regime and later other global conflicts.

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