Former Wyoming US Sen. Alan Simpson recovering after stroke

CODY, Wyo. (AP) — Former Wyoming U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson is recovering at a Denver-area hospital after suffering a minor stroke earlier this week, his family said.

Simpson, 89, was in good spirits with good vital signs at Swedish Medical Center in the Denver suburb of Englewood, his son, Colin Simpson, told The Associated Press on Thursday. The elder Simpson has been discharged from the hospital's intensive care unit and could return to his Wyoming home as soon as Saturday, Colin Simpson said.

“The care at the hospital and the outreach to our family has been incredible,” said Colin Simpson, an attorney in Cody, Wyoming.

Colin Simpson told the Cody Enterprise that his father suffered the stroke on Monday after recently having a blood clot removed from a carotid artery on his left side. He was taken to Cody Regional Hospital, then transferred to Swedish Medical Center on Tuesday.

“Cody Regional did a great job taking care of him,” Colin Simpson said.

Alan Simpson served as a Republican senator from 1979 to 1997. He subsequently taught politics and co-chaired a commission under President Barack Obama to draw up recommendations on how to cut the national debt, which he has long argued is placing an unsustainable burden on younger generations of U.S. citizens.