Lawyer, civil servant.
Born at Morden on 18 March 1896, son of Walter Hunter Spencer (1859-1937) and Hannah Maria Seale (1867-1921), he was educated at the Morden Public and High Schools, and the Manitoba Law School. In October 1915, he interrupted his legal studies to join the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CAMC) and went overseas in February 1916. In France, he was attached to the 10th Field Ambulance.
After his return to Canada, he articled in law to Arnold Wienholt Bowen at Morden and was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1921. He was made a King’s Counsel in 1933 and served as a Bencher (1929-1946) and Life Bencher (1946-1988) for the Law Society of Manitoba. During the Second World War, he served with the Second Canadian Division Headquarters in Britain. Near the end of the war, he was appointed head examiner for the Civil Service Commission at Ottawa, Ontario to choose staff for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Later, he served the Department based at Saint John, New Brunswick until retirement.
He was married twice, first on 5 July 1926 to Grace Esther Thompson (1891-1966) at Chance Harbour, New Brunswick and they had a son, E. T. Spencer. His second wife was his brother Russell's widow Matilda Mazzocchi Spencer (1894-1984). He served on the executive of the Provincial Command of the Great War Veterans Association and was elected President of the Provincial Command in 1924. He was a member of the Masons (Belmont Lodge No. 13), IOOF (Junior Warden, Nelson Lodge No. 9), and Knights of Pythias (Stanley Lodge No. 16).
He died at the Saint John Regional Hospital on 1 July 1985 and was buried in the Chance Harbour Cemetery in New Brunswick.
Birth registration [Eli Edwin Spencer], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Attestation papers, Canadian Expeditionary Force, Library and Archives Canada.
Pioneers and Prominent People of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Canadian Publicity Company, 1925.
“20 barristers elected benchers,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 April 1946, page 3.
Obituary [Grace Esther Spencer], Saint John Telegraph-Journal, 4 August 1966, page 18.
Obituary [Matilda Mazzocchi Spencer], Calgary Herald, 13 July 1984, page 46.
“Prominent lawyer dies in hospital,” Saint John Telegraph-Journal, 2 July 1985, page 4.
We thank Vernalyn Heale and Darryl Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 9 November 2024
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