Edward Samuel Spencer (January 2, 1893 – June 17, 1973) was a

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

and politician in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. He represented Grand Falls from 1949 to 1959,

Bonavista North Bonavista North was a provincial electoral district for the House of Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It existed from when Newfoundland joined confederation in 1949 until 2015. As of 2011 the district had 6,956 eligible voters. Whe ...

from 1959 to 1962 and Fogo from 1962 to 1966 in the

Newfoundland House of Assembly The Newfoundland and Labrador House of Assembly is the unicameral deliberative assembly of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and Labrador of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It meets in the Confederation Building in St. Jo ...

. The son of Edward Thomas Spencer and Sarah Roberts, he was born in

Pilley's Island Pilley's Island is a town located on the island of the same name in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located in Division No. 8, Newfoundland and Labrador. History The island is known to have been frequented by Dorset ...

and received his primary education in Newfoundland, going on to study engineering with the

International Correspondence School Penn Foster Career School is a U.S. for-profit, regionally and nationally-accredited distance education school offering career diploma programs and certificate programs. It was founded in 1890 as International Correspondence Schools, or ICS. Penn ...

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...

. He began work with the Nova Scotia Steel Company at Wabana in 1908, as a surveyor and then assistant engineer. In 1914, Spencer married Daisie E. Sellars. In 1923, he became work as an engineer working on highways for the Newfoundland government. He was in charge of construction of the

Botwood Botwood is a town in north-central Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada in Census Division 6. It is located on the west shore of the Bay of Exploits on a natural deep water harbour used by cargo ships and seaplanes throughout the town ...

seaplane base and then was maintenance engineer at

Gander airport Gander International Airport is located in Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and is operated by the Gander International Airport Authority. Canadian Forces Base Gander shares the airfield but is a separate entity from the airport. The ...

. Spencer worked at the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

station at

North Bay, Ontario North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing. North Bay developed as a railroad centre, and its airport was an important military ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In 1945, he became a field engineer for the

Canadian National Railway The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States. CN i ...

. He returned to Newfoundland as a building superintendent for Gander airport. Spencer ran unsuccessfully for the

St. Barbe St. Barbe is an List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador, unincorporated settlement in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the Great Northern Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland near Pigeon Cove (some ...

seat in the Newfoundland assembly in 1932. He was elected to the assembly in 1949. He served 15 years in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Public Works and then as Minister of Finance. He retired from politics in 1966. Spencer received the Belgian Order of the Crown in 1946 for rescue work following the crash of a Belgian airliner.

References

1893 births 1973 deaths Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador MHAs Canadian civil engineers Members of the Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador {{Newfoundland-politician-stub