George E. Spencer

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George E. Spencer
United States Senator
from Alabama
In office
July 13, 1868 – March 3, 1879
Preceded byBenjamin Fitzpatrick
Succeeded byGeorge S. Houston
Personal details
Born(1836-11-01)November 1, 1836
United States of America
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Bella Zilfa
​
​
(m. 1862; died 1867)​
​
(m. 1877)​
Profession
United States of America
Branch/serviceUnion Army
Rank Colonel
Bvt. Brigadier General
Commands1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment
Battles/warsAmerican Civil War

George Eliphaz Spencer (November 1, 1836 – February 19, 1893) was an American politician and a U.S. senator from the state of Alabama who also served as an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Biography

Born in

Pike's Peak Gold Rush he briefly relocated to Colorado where in November 1859 he founded the town of Breckenridge
. He married English author
Bella Zilfa in 1862.[1]

Career

During the American Civil War, Spencer enlisted as a captain on October 16, 1862. While serving on the staff of Brig. Gen. Grenville M. Dodge, he requested a transfer to the 1st Alabama Cavalry Regiment, a volunteer regiment made up of Southern Unionists, which did not have a permanent commander. Receiving a promotion to colonel, he led the regiment from September 11, 1863, until his resignation on July 5, 1865.[2]

After the war, Spencer returned to Alabama to practice law. His wife died of typhoid fever in 1867. For a time he served as register in bankruptcy for the fourth district of Alabama.[3]

Elected as a Republican to the United States Senate upon readmission of Alabama to the Union, Spencer served from July 13, 1868, to March 3, 1879.[4] The Ku Klux Klan and their supporters accused him of corruption and rewarding supporters in the legislature with patronage positions, allegations which he denied.[5][6]

He was appointed a commissioner of the

Washington, D.C., about 1880.[8]

Death

Spencer died in Washington, D.C., on February 19, 1893 (age 56 years, 110 days). He is interred at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.[9]

References

  1. ^ "George Eliphaz Spencer". 1st Alabama Cavalry. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  2. ^ "George Eliphaz Spencer". Arlington National Cemetery. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  3. ^ "George Eliphaz Spencer". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  4. ^ "George Eliphaz Spencer". Govtrack US Congress. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  5. ^ Spencer, George Eliphaz (1875). "Report of the Joint Committee of the General Assembly of Alabama: In Regard to the Alleged Election of Geo. E. Spencer, as U. S. Senator, Together with Memorial and Evidence".
  6. JSTOR 2587791
    .
  7. ^ "Actress, Author, Wife: The Story of May Nunez". The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. November 29, 1886. p. 2. Retrieved November 6, 2023 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "George Eliphaz Spencer". Encyclopedia of Alabama. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  9. ^ "George Eliphaz Spencer". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2 July 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to George E. Spencer.
U.S. Senate
Preceded by
vacant1
John T. Morgan
 		Succeeded by
Notes and references
1. Because Alabama seceded from the Union in 1861, seat was declared vacant from 1861 to 1868 when Benjamin Fitzpatrick withdrew from the U.S. Senate.
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