Memorable Manitobans: David Spence (1824-1885)

David Spence Click to enlarge

MLA (1870-1874).

Born at the Red River Settlement on 15 September 1824, son of James Spence and Jane Morwick, he was elected to the Manitoba Legislature at the 1870 general election, representing the Poplar Point constituency. He served a single term. On 15 February 1844, he married Catherine Hallett (c1825-1880) and they had seven children: John “Jake” Spence (1848-?), Ellen Anderson Spence (1853-?, wife of George Brown), Charles David Spence (1857-?), Jane Spence (1859-?, wife of William Folster), Mary Ann Spence (1861-?, wife of Ernest Riggs), Harriet Spence (1863-?, wife of Peter Henry Wishart), and William Spence (1866-?). He died of an accidental gunshot wound on 16 September 1885.

Sources:

The Canadian Parliamentary Companian, 1874. Canadiana.org.

Manitoba's Provisional Government of 1870: The Convention of Forty by Lawrence J. Barkwell, Louis Riel Institute, 2011.

We thank Oliver Bernuetz (Legislative Library of Manitoba) for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 12 November 2022

Memorable Manitobans This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations. Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text: Custom Search Browse surnames beginning with: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z Browse deaths occurring in: 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 Send corrections and additions to this page to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements Help us keep history alive!