Esther Simpson blue plaque

This blue commemorative plaque records: Esther Simpson OBE. This graduate of the University of Leeds was born in nearby Little London to immigrant parents. She was appointed Assistant Secretary to the Academic Assistance Council in 1933. Through her work in the decades that followed, the hundreds of refugee scholars she saved from persecution and death included sixteen future Nobel Laureates. 1903-1996 Recorded plaque organisation: Leeds Civic Trust.

Esther Simpson OBE was a key figure in saving hundreds of academics from Nazi persecution, including sixteen future Nobel laureates, through her work with the Academic Assistance Council starting in 1933. Her efforts were crucial in preserving intellectual capital during the tumultuous period leading up to and throughout World War II.