to the nomination and voted against his confirmation. However, Boutwell's speech was described by The New York Times as "not very earnest" and seen as aiding Simmons. The Senate confirmed Simmons by a vote of 27 to 17. His term ended in 1878 and he was succeeded by Alanson W. Beard. After leaving office, Simmons worked in the manufacturing and mining businesses, helped found the Boston Evening Star, and served as president of the Massachusetts Benefit Life Association. In 1883, Simmons was appointed chairman of the Boston water board by mayor Albert Palmer. In 1885, mayor Hugh O'Brien removed Simmons after the Boston Daily Advertiser reported on a real estate deal approved by Simmons that saw the water department purchased land for the Fisher Hill Reservoir from George A. Wilson for $91,934 four days after Wilson purchased it for $41,445. Shortly after the sale, Simmons was seen with $31,312 in his possession. An investigative committee chaired by alderman Thomas N. Hart found that Simmons knew that the land could have been purchased for less and had received profits from the sale. The city sued Wilson and Simmons for money lost in the Fisher Hill transaction, however the judge overseeing the case sustained a demurrer from the defendants, resulting in the dismissal of the city's suit. The demurrer was overturned by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in 1890. Later life Simmons left Boston after his removal from the water board. He was involved in mining and real estate in New York for a time and in 1896 moved to Chicago, where he was an agent and representative of the Clark Thread Company. In 1896, Simmons acquired an apartment building worth $135,000 from Thomas Barbour Bryan in exchange for 6,000 acres in Florida that had little value. Bryan stated that Simmons had led him to believe that the property was being deeded to the Clark Thread Company and accused him of fraud. In 1898, Simmons was indicted on charges of obtaining signatures and property by false pretenses after Thomas Barbour Bryan accused Simmons of fraud in a deal that saw Bryan exchange property in Chicago worth $135,000 for real estate in Florida that had little value. Simmons was found guilty, but his conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of Illinois. Simmons died on June 28, 1916, in Chicago. Footnotes 1840 births 1916 deaths Collectors of the Port of Boston Internal Revenue