Nelson Charles Spencer, (7 December 1876 – 30 September 1943) was a Canadian merchant, provincial politician from

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, and lieutenant colonel with the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

(CEF) during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Biography

Spencer was born in York County, New Brunswick, to Amelia Caroline (''née'' Price) and William Spencer, and raised at Bloomfield Ridge, Stanley Parish. A Conservative in party allegiance, Nelson Spencer was an Orangeman, and in 1910, he belonged to

Carnduff, Saskatchewan Carnduff is a small agricultural town in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada. History Carnduff is named after its first postmaster, John Carnduff. It was marked on early Canadian Pacific Railway, CPR maps, though that location did not exactly corre ...

, Loyal Orange Lodge No.1561 where he served as the County Master for that jurisdiction. Later, he transferred to 'Medicine Hat' L.O.L. 1549. Spencer first served in municipal politics, serving as mayor of

Medicine Hat, Alberta Medicine Hat is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are within ...

, from 1912 to 1914. Spencer was elected to the Alberta Legislature in the 1913 Alberta general election to fill the Medicine Hat seat. He defeated the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

cabinet minister

Charles R. Mitchell Charles Richmond Mitchell (November 30, 1872 – August 16, 1942) was a Canadian lawyer, judge, cabinet minister and former Leader of the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. Early life Mitchell was born in Newcastle, Ne ...

in an upset victory by 10 votes. Mitchell was the only cabinet minister defeated in that election. Spencer retained his seat in the

1917 Alberta general election The 1917 Alberta general election was held on 7 June 1917 to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. The Liberals won a fourth term in office, defeating the Conservative Party of Edward Michener. Because of World War I, eleven Mem ...

under section 38 of the ''Elections Act'' that stipulated that an incumbent MLA engaged in duty with the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

in World War I would be automatically returned to his district without an election. Spencer retired from the legislature after two terms in office and did not run for re-election in 1921. Spencer belonged to the 21st Alberta Hussars prior to the Great War of 1914–1919. During the war, he was given command of the newly-created 175th 'Medicine Hat' Battalion and appointed to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. The unit was later broken up to reinforce other units at the front. He commanded the 31st 'Alberta' Battalion from October 6 to December 1, 1918. For his war service, he was awarded the

Distinguished Service Order The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...

, and after the war, he returned to the militia as commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, the Alberta Regiment, in Medicine Hat. Spencer ran for a seat in the

Canadian House of Commons The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Commons is ...

as the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

candidate in a 1921 by-election in the

Medicine Hat Medicine Hat is a city in Southern Alberta, southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff, Alberta, ...

federal electoral district held after the death of

Arthur Lewis Sifton Arthur Lewis Watkins Sifton (October 26, 1858 – January 21, 1921) was a Canadian lawyer, judge and politician who served as the second premier of Alberta from 1910 until 1917. He became a minister in the federal cabinet of Canada therea ...

. Spencer was badly defeated in a landslide by Robert Gardiner. After his electoral defeat, Spencer moved to

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

and ran in the

1928 British Columbia general election The 1928 British Columbia general election was the seventeenth general election in the Province of British Columbia, Canada. It was held to elect members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. The election was called on June 7, 1928, and ...

. He was elected in the riding of Vancouver City and spent one term in office for the

British Columbia Conservative Party The Conservative Party of British Columbia is a provincial political party in British Columbia, Canada. In the early half of the 20th century, the Conservatives competed with the British Columbia Liberal Party for power in the province. Since th ...

. Spencer later ran as an independent for mayor of Vancouver after losing the

Non-Partisan Association The Non-Partisan Association (NPA) is a municipal political party in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It was established by the city's business leaders in 1937 to challenge the democratic socialist Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) ...

nomination in 1937. Spencer was married to Martha Alberta Kennedy (15 June 1878 – 21 June 1958). He died in Vancouver, British Columbia at the age of 66, and is interred at Ocean View Burial Park in

Burnaby, British Columbia Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard Inl ...

References

External links

Legislative Assembly of Alberta Members Listing
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, Nelson Progressive Conservative Association of Alberta MLAs Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) candidates for the Canadian House of Commons British Columbia Conservative Party MLAs Canadian military personnel of World War I 1943 deaths 1876 births Mayors of Medicine Hat 20th-century Canadian politicians