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Selden Palmer Spencer (September 16, 1862May 16, 1925) was an
Admitted to the bar in 1886, Spencer opened a law practice in St. Louis with future Missouri governor Forrest Donnell while also serving as a professor of medical jurisprudence at the
Selden Spencer first held elected office in 1895 when he was voted a member of the Missouri House of Representatives. While in the Missouri House he was Chairman of the Committee on Banks and Banking, as well as on the Judiciary, Ways and Means, Militia, and Rules Committees. From 1897 to 1903 he was a judge of the United States circuit court. At the end of his term on the court Spencer returned to his law practice. He also became heavily involved with the American Bar Association, serving on its executive board and as vice-president in 1914.
Spencer was a member of the Missouri State Militia, attaining the rank of captain. During World War I he was chairman of a St. Louis area draft board.
The unexpected death of Missouri U.S. Senator
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
lawyer and politician. A Republican, he was a United States Senator from Missouri.
Early life
Selden Spencer was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, to Samuel Selden and Eliza Deborah (Palmer) Spenser. He received his basic education in Erie before attending Hopkins School, a college preparatory school in New Haven, Connecticut. Afterward Spencer attended Yale College, where he was an editor of the student newspaper and participated in Lacrosse. He graduated in 1884 with honors, seventh in a class of one hundred fifty. He then moved toSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
to attend Washington University School of Law graduating in 1886.
Admitted to the bar in 1886, Spencer opened a law practice in St. Louis with future Missouri governor Forrest Donnell while also serving as a professor of medical jurisprudence at the Missouri Medical College
Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) is the medical school of Washington University in St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1891, the School of Medicine has 1,260 students, 604 of which are pursuing a medical degree with o ...
. The college later honored him with an honorary M.D. degree in appreciation of his efforts. Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri also granted him honorary Ph.D and LL.D
Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the earl ...
degrees.
Politics
Selden Spencer first held elected office in 1895 when he was voted a member of the Missouri House of Representatives. While in the Missouri House he was Chairman of the Committee on Banks and Banking, as well as on the Judiciary, Ways and Means, Militia, and Rules Committees. From 1897 to 1903 he was a judge of the United States circuit court. At the end of his term on the court Spencer returned to his law practice. He also became heavily involved with the American Bar Association, serving on its executive board and as vice-president in 1914.
Spencer was a member of the Missouri State Militia, attaining the rank of captain. During World War I he was chairman of a St. Louis area draft board.
The unexpected death of Missouri U.S. Senator William J. Stone
William Joel Stone (May 7, 1848April 14, 1918) was a Democratic politician from Missouri who represented his state in the United States House of Representatives from 1885 to 1891, and in the U.S. Senate from 1903 until his death; he also served ...
in April, 1918 prompted Selden Spencer's return to political office. Xenophon P. Wilfley
Xenophon Pierce Wilfley (; March 18, 1871May 4, 1931) was a Democratic Party politician who represented the state of Missouri in the U.S. Senate for five months in 1918.
Early life
Wilfley was born near Mexico, Missouri, the son of James Franklin ...
was appointed a temporary replacement until a special election could be held. In November, 1918 Spencer defeated former Governor Joseph W. Folk
Joseph "Holy Joe" Wingate Folk (October 28, 1869 – May 28, 1923) was an American lawyer, reformer, and politician from St. Louis, Missouri. He was Governor of Missouri from 1905 to 1909.
Early life and education
Joseph Folk was born in Brown ...
with 52-percent of the vote to fill the remaining two years of Stone's term. In 1920 Selden Spencer won reelection, first by defeating tennis star-turned-politician Dwight F. Davis
Dwight Filley Davis Sr. (July 5, 1879 – November 28, 1945) was an American tennis player and politician. He is best remembered as the founder of the Davis Cup international tennis competition. He was the Assistant Secretary of War from 1923 to ...
in the Republican primary, then Democrat Breckinridge Long by over 121,000 votes in the November general election.
While in the Senate, he was chairman of the Committee on Claims
The United States Senate Committee on Claims was among the first standing committees established in the Senate. It dealt generally with issues related to private bills and petitions. After reforms in the 1880s that created judicial and administra ...
( Sixty-sixth and Sixty-seventh Congresses
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...
) and a member of the Committee on Indian Affairs
The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is a committee of the United States Senate charged with oversight in matters related to the American Indian, Native Hawaiian, and Alaska Native peoples. A Committee on Indian Affairs existed from 1820 to 1 ...
(Sixty-seventh Congress) and the Committee on Privileges and Elections (Sixty-seventh through Sixty-ninth Congresses). Senator Spencer was also noted for being one of the Republicans in opposition to the Treaty of Versailles and America's participation in the League of Nations, working with Senator Henry Cabot Lodge and the Irreconcilables
{{for, Irreconcilables during the Philippine–American War , Irreconcilables (Philippines)
The Irreconcilables were bitter opponents of the Treaty of Versailles in the United States in 1919. Specifically, the term refers to about 12 to 18 United ...
. Senator Spencer made numerous speeches against the treaty while campaigning for fellow Republicans in 1920 and 1922. Senator Selden P. Spencer died at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C. on May 16, 1925 following complications from hernia surgery. He is buried in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.
See also
*List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–49)
There are several lists of United States Congress members who died in office. These include:
* List of United States Congress members who died in office (1790–1899)
*List of United States Congress members who died in office (1900–1949)
*List o ...
References
External links
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, Selden 1862 births 1925 deaths Politicians from Erie, Pennsylvania Hopkins School alumni Yale College alumni Washington University School of Law alumni Politicians from St. Louis Missouri lawyers Republican Party members of the Missouri House of Representatives Missouri state court judges Republican Party United States senators from Missouri Lawyers from St. Louis